CVE-2016-5636
CRITICALEPSS 98th pctlDescription
Integer overflow in the get_data function in zipimport.c in CPython (aka Python) before 2.7.12, 3.x before 3.4.5, and 3.5.x before 3.5.2 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a negative data size value, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
How to fix
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Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 98% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-190 (Integer Overflow) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-16040 | Medium | 6.5 | 100% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-11477 | High | 7.5 | 99% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-44443 | High | 7.8 | 94% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2014-0569 | High | 9.3 | 91% | - | - |
| CVE-2017-3599 | High | 7.5 | 90% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-21716 | Critical | 9.8 | 82% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2016-5636?
Published advisories record a fix for 16 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2016-5636 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2016-5636 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 25.5% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 98% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2016-5636?
CVE-2016-5636 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2016-5636 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for python2.7 (Debian), libpython2.7 (Ubuntu), libpython2.7-minimal (Ubuntu), libpython2.7-stdlib (Ubuntu), and 12 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.