CVE-2016-8972

HIGHNVD 7.87.8—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

Score 7.8 from GitHub Security Advisory (severity: HIGH) published 2022-05-13. NVD baseline CVSS 7.8; sources differ by 0.0.

Triggered by: GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
Sources: epss, ghsa, nvd
Elevated
7.8
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 1%CVSS: 7.8Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

IBM AIX 6.1, 7.1, and 7.2 could allow a local user to gain root privileges using a specially crafted command within the bellmail client. IBM APARs: IV91006, IV91007, IV91008, IV91010, IV91011.

CVSS v3
7.8
EG Score
7.8(medium)
EG Risk
56(Track)
EG Risk 56/100SSVC: Track

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity78% × 45%
Exploitation40% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS
69.3%
KEV
Not listed

Published

February 15, 2017

Last Modified

May 13, 2026

References (8)

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 14× in last 7d / 41× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
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  3. 2026-07-23 01:24 UTCEG score recompute
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  64. 2026-05-22 16:11 UTCEG score recompute
  65. 2026-05-22 16:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
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Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-40950
    First seen Dec 22, 2016

    IBM AIX 6.1/7.1/7.2 - 'Bellmail' Local Privilege Escalation

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2016-8972?
CVE-2016-8972 is a high vulnerability published on February 15, 2017. IBM AIX 6.1, 7.1, and 7.2 could allow a local user to gain root privileges using a specially crafted command within the bellmail client. IBM APARs: IV91006, IV91007, IV91008, IV91010, IV91011.
When was CVE-2016-8972 disclosed?
CVE-2016-8972 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on February 15, 2017, with the most recent update on May 13, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2016-8972 actively exploited?
CVE-2016-8972 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 69.3% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-8972?
CVE-2016-8972 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2016-8972?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2016-8972, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

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