HIGH CVSS 7.5
Published: 2018-05-31

CVE-2016-10518

ws_project ws Security Advisory (CVE-2016-10518)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2016-10518 impacting ws_project ws. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
A vulnerability was found in the ping functionality of the ws module before 1.0.0 which allowed clients to allocate memory by sending a ping frame. The ping functionality by default responds with a pong frame and the previously given payload of the ping frame. This is exactly what you expect, but internally ws always transforms all data that we need to send to a Buffer instance and that is where the vulnerability existed. ws didn't do any checks for the type of data it was sending. With buffers in node when you allocate it when a number instead of a string it will allocate the amount of bytes.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product ws_project / ws
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-201

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2016-10518 impacting ws_project ws.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2016-10518.yaml
id: cve-2016-10518

info:
  name: ws_project ws - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2016-10518 affecting ws_project ws.
    Evaluation: A vulnerability was found in the ping functionality of the ws module before 1.0.0 which allowed clients to allocate memory by sending a ping frame. Th...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2016-10518
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2016-10518
    cwe-id: CWE-201
  tags: cve,cve-2016-10518,ws_project,ws,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "ws"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2016-10518.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2016-10518
# Target: ws_project ws | CVSS: 7.5 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2016-10518 (ws_project ws)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against ws_project ws scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2016-10518.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2016-10518
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install ws 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade ws 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update ws

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i ws 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i ws

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2016-10518 in ws_project ws?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update ws_project ws packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2016-10518?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2016-10518?

CVE-2016-10518 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.5
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2016-10518
Weakness CWE-201
Vendor ws_project
Product ws
Published 2018-05-31
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N