CVE-2016-7567 in OpenSLP
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the SLPFoldWhiteSpace function in common/slp_compare.c in OpenSLP 2.0 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted string.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/14/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7567 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the OpenSLP 2.0 software suite, specifically within the SLPFoldWhiteSpace function located in the common/slp_compare.c source file. This flaw resides in the Service Location Protocol implementation that is widely used for service discovery within network environments. The buffer overflow occurs when processing specially crafted input strings that exceed the allocated buffer boundaries during whitespace folding operations, creating a potential entry point for malicious actors to exploit the system's memory management.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the SLPFoldWhiteSpace function, which is responsible for processing whitespace characters during service location protocol communications. When an attacker submits a malformed string containing excessive whitespace sequences or specially constructed character combinations, the function fails to properly validate the input length against the allocated buffer space. This results in memory corruption that can potentially lead to arbitrary code execution, denial of service conditions, or information disclosure depending on how the vulnerable system handles the overflow condition.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on OpenSLP for service discovery and network management. The remote attack vector means that malicious actors can exploit this flaw without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where SLP services are exposed to external traffic. The unspecified impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the vulnerability could enable various attack scenarios including privilege escalation, system compromise, or complete service disruption, depending on the specific execution environment and system configuration.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which classifies buffer overflow conditions as critical weaknesses in software design and implementation. This weakness falls under the broader category of memory safety issues that have been extensively documented in cybersecurity literature and represent one of the most common attack vectors in software exploitation. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability would likely map to ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services, and potentially T1059 for command and control activities that might follow successful exploitation.
Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation through patching the OpenSLP 2.0 software to the latest available version that addresses this buffer overflow vulnerability. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of SLP services to untrusted networks. Additionally, monitoring for unusual whitespace patterns in service location protocol communications can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation approach should include thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability has been properly addressed without introducing regressions in service functionality. Regular security assessments of service discovery protocols and network services should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the infrastructure stack.