CVE-2016-3147 in Management Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the collector.exe listener of the Landesk Management Suite 10.0.0.271 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via a large packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3147 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the collector.exe listener component of the Landesk Management Suite version 10.0.0.271 and earlier. This issue resides in the network communication handling mechanism where the system fails to properly validate input packet sizes before processing them through the collector service. The buffer overflow occurs when the listener receives a malformed packet that exceeds the allocated buffer space, creating a condition where adjacent memory regions can be overwritten. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and also aligns with CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities that can lead to arbitrary code execution. The Landesk Management Suite serves as enterprise-level IT asset management and desktop management software, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in corporate environments where centralized management systems are prevalent.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires remote attackers to send a specially crafted packet to the collector.exe listener service, which operates on network ports typically used for communication between managed endpoints and the central management server. When the service processes this oversized packet, the insufficient bounds checking allows the data to overflow into adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical program execution structures including return addresses and function pointers. This memory corruption can lead to unpredictable program behavior, application crashes, and in some cases, provide attackers with opportunities to inject and execute malicious code within the context of the collector.exe process. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require local system access or authentication credentials to exploit this flaw, making it particularly attractive for automated attack campaigns. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving remote code execution through network services and privilege escalation through service exploitation, specifically targeting the execution and persistence phases of the attack lifecycle.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-3147 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable full system compromise within affected enterprise environments. Organizations utilizing Landesk Management Suite in their IT infrastructure face significant risk as attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, establish persistent backdoors, or disrupt critical business operations through service interruptions. The collector.exe process typically runs with elevated privileges to perform system management tasks, meaning successful exploitation could provide attackers with administrative access to managed endpoints. Additionally, the vulnerability's presence in the management suite creates a potential attack vector for lateral movement within networks, as compromised management servers could serve as launching points for attacks against other connected systems. Organizations that have not patched this vulnerability remain at risk of exploitation by threat actors who may have already developed automated tools targeting this specific buffer overflow condition. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in environments where the Landesk Management Suite is used for critical system management functions, including software deployment, patch management, and endpoint monitoring, making the potential disruption to business operations particularly severe.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-3147 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from the vendor, as Landesk released security updates specifically addressing this buffer overflow vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the collector.exe service to only trusted networks and systems, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual packet sizes being sent to the affected service ports, providing early warning capabilities for potential exploitation attempts. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify patterns associated with buffer overflow exploitation attempts, particularly those targeting known vulnerable services. The implementation of application whitelisting policies can prevent unauthorized execution of modified or malicious binaries that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify other potentially vulnerable services within the enterprise infrastructure that may share similar architectural flaws. Organizations should also maintain comprehensive incident response procedures that include specific protocols for handling buffer overflow exploitation attempts, ensuring rapid containment and remediation of any successful attacks. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in controlled environments before deployment to production systems to prevent potential service disruptions while addressing the identified security weakness.