# CVE-2016-5316: Libtiff out-of-bounds read in PixarLogCleanup

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2016-5316-libtiff-out-of-bounds-read-in-pixarlogcleanup  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2017-01-20. Updated: 2026-05-13  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2016-5316 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2017-01-20

A vulnerability exists in libtiff, a widely used library for processing TIFF image files. By tricking a user or system into processing a specially crafted image, an attacker can cause the application to crash. This results in a denial-of-service, potentially disrupting business operations that rely on image processing or document management.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2016-5316 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2016-5316 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2016-5316?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 20 January 2017.

**Which products and versions are affected?** libtiff libtiff 4.0.6 and earlier.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2016-5316?** A patch was published on 2017-01-09: Gentoo released advisory for version 4.0.7 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2016-5316 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2016-5316?** Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the PixarLogCleanup function within tif_pixarlog.c in libtiff versions 4.0.6 and earlier. The flaw is triggered when the library processes a maliciously crafted TIFF image, specifically when using tools like rgb2ycbcr. The root cause involves improper memory handling during the cleanup of PixarLog compressed data, leading to a segmentation fault. An attacker can exploit this by providing a crafted file to be processed by an application linked against the vulnerable library. This issue has been addressed in libtiff version 4.0.7 and various downstream distribution patches (e.g., Debian, openSUSE).

## Affected products

- libtiff libtiff 4.0.6 and earlier

## Timeline

- 2016-06-15: disclosed: Initial disclosure on oss-security mailing list
- 2017-01-09: patched: Gentoo released advisory for version 4.0.7
- 2017-01-13: patched: Debian released security update DSA-3762-1
- 2017-01-20: advisory: NVD published CVE-2016-5316 details

## References

- [http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-07/msg00087.html](http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-07/msg00087.html)
- [http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00060.html](http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00060.html)
- [http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00090.html](http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-09/msg00090.html)
- [http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3762](http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3762)
- [http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/15/3](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/15/3)
- [http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91203](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91203)
- [https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-16](https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-16)