# CVE-2016-9297: LibTiff out-of-bounds read in TIFFFetchNormalTag

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2016-9297-libtiff-out-of-bounds-read-in-tifffetchnormaltag  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2017-01-18. Updated: 2026-05-13  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2016-9297 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2017-01-18

LibTiff is a widely used software library for reading and writing Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) files. A vulnerability in this library allows a remote attacker to crash applications that process specially crafted image files. This could lead to a service outage or application instability for any software that relies on LibTiff to handle images.

Technologies: [Libtiff](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/libtiff). Vendors: [Libtiff](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/libtiff).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2016-9297 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2016-9297 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2016-9297?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 18 January 2017.

**Which products and versions are affected?** LibTiff LibTiff 4.0.6.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2016-9297?** A patch was published on 2016-11-11: Fix committed to LibTiff source repository Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2016-9297 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2016-9297?** Check whether you run Libtiff. 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 LibTiff 4.0.6 within the TIFFFetchNormalTag function in tif_dirread.c. The issue stems from a failure to ensure that certain ASCII tags (specifically TIFF_SETGET_C16ASCII and TIFF_SETGET_C32_ASCII) are properly null-terminated. When these malformed tags are processed, subsequent calls to _TIFFPrintField() may read past the end of the allocated buffer. A remote attacker can exploit this by providing a specially crafted TIFF image, leading to an application crash (denial of service). The vulnerability was addressed in version 4.0.7 by ensuring proper null termination of these tag values.

## Affected products

- LibTiff LibTiff 4.0.6

## Timeline

- 2016-11-11: patched: Fix committed to LibTiff source repository
- 2017-01-13: advisory: Debian security advisory DSA-3762-1 released
- 2017-01-18: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [http://bugzilla.maptools.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2590](http://bugzilla.maptools.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2590)
- [http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3762](http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3762)
- [http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/12/2](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/12/2)
- [http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/14/7](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/14/7)
- [http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94419](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94419)
- [https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-16](https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-16)

## Related threats

- [libtiff heap buffer overflow in tiff2pdf](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-18495-libtiff-heap-buffer-overflow-in-tiff2pdf)
- [libtiff integer overflow in thumbnail buffer allocation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-52491-libtiff-integer-overflow-in-thumbnail-buffer-allocation)
- [libtiff integer overflow in rgb2ycbcr cvtRaster](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-52492-libtiff-integer-overflow-in-rgb2ycbcr-cvtraster)
- [libtiff integer overflow in tiffcrop -S option](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-52490-libtiff-integer-overflow-in-tiffcrop-s-option)
- [libtiff heap overflow in PixarLogDecode with 8BITABGR format](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-12912-libtiff-heap-overflow-in-pixarlogdecode-with-8bitabgr-format)