Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Older Pidgin clients could mishandle imported X.509 certificates in a way that may allow code execution. The issue is relevant only where Pidgin versions before 2.11.0 remain in use. Sources say it was fixed in 2.11.0, but do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize as a legacy endpoint cleanup item with high impact if present. It is not KEV-listed in the supplied data, so urgency depends on whether vulnerable Pidgin remains deployed.
Technical view
CVE-2016-1000030 concerns missing or improper return-value checks for gnutls_x509_crt_init() and gnutls_x509_crt_import() during X.509 certificate import in Pidgin before 2.11.0. The reported attack vector is a custom X.509 certificate from another client, with potential code execution.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints still running Pidgin before 2.11.0, including distribution-packaged builds without the backported fix. Modern environments without Pidgin, or with fixed vendor packages, are unlikely to be exposed.
Exploitation context
The source bundle describes exploitation via a custom X.509 certificate from another client. It does not provide evidence of active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as CISA KEV in the supplied data.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited but consistent: the CVE description, Pidgin advisory, and vendor references identify vulnerable Pidgin versions before 2.11.0 and a fix in 2.11.0. No CVSS vector, CWE, or active exploitation confirmation is provided.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Pidgin to 2.11.0 or a later fixed release.
- Use vendor distribution advisories to confirm any backported fix.
- Remove unsupported or unused Pidgin installations from managed endpoints.
- Limit legacy Pidgin use with untrusted clients until remediated.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for installed Pidgin versions below 2.11.0.
- Check package changelogs for CVE-2016-1000030 or the upstream fix.
- Confirm managed images no longer include vulnerable Pidgin builds.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unusual Pidgin crashes or certificate-handling errors.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Execution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-1000030 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.suse.com/pt-br/security/cve/CVE-2016-1000030/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://pidgin.im/news/security/?id=91CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://bitbucket.org/pidgin/main/commits/d6fc1ce76ffeCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2016-1000030CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- GLSA-201701-38CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
