CVE-2016-4523
CVE-2016-4523 is a security flaw in Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS). Attackers can corrupt memory in Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS), which they use to take it over. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 15 Apr 2022.[1]
Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS) is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff.
Description
CISA calls it a denial-of-service in Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS). In its words: “The WAP interface in Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS) allows remote attackers to cause a denial-of-service (DoS).”[1]
The CVE record adds: “The WAP interface in Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS) 8.x through 11.x before 11.2.02 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and application crash) via unspecified vectors.”[2]
The underlying weakness is memory buffer error (CWE-119), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 7.5 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it. CISA names the product as Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS).
Most families won’t have Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS); it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 15 Apr 2022, 2,136 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 6 May 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 31%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[3]
CISA assesses it as automatable: attackers can run it against many targets at once.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS) is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 6 May 2022 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.5.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 31%.[3] |
See also
Other memory buffer error flaws
- CVE-2026-88779, Citrix NetScaler: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2026-88772, Citrix NetScaler: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2026-88771, Citrix NetScaler: improper input validation ·
- CVE-2026-8452, Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway: improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer ·
- CVE-2009-3459, Adobe Acrobat and Reader: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-22960, VMware products: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2022-1364, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
- CVE-2019-3929, Crestron products: command injection ·
- CVE-2019-16057, D-Link DNS-320 Storage Device: DNS-320 remote code execution ·
- CVE-2018-7841, Schneider Electric U.motion Builder: SQL injection ·
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS) Denial-of-Service Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 15 Apr 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2016-4523 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 9 Jun 2016.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.312, percentile 98.3, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2016-4523”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.