Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a local denial-of-service issue in Joyent SmartOS. A user or workload on an affected host could repeatedly trigger a Hyprlofs file-system operation that leaks memory until the system is exhausted and unavailable.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted availability risk for affected SmartOS infrastructure. It is not described as remote code execution, but shared or multi-tenant hosts deserve prompt review because local abuse can take down the system.
Technical view
In SmartOS 20161110T013148Z, the Hyprlofs ioctl command HYPRLOFSADDENTRIES mishandles allocation under a 32-bit model. Repeated triggering causes allocated buffers to remain unfreed, leading to memory exhaustion and full system denial of service.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Joyent SmartOS hosts running version 20161110T013148Z, especially where untrusted local users or workloads can reach the vulnerable Hyprlofs ioctl path.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, no privileges required, and availability-only. The bundle does not show KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The provided sources identify one affected SmartOS build and the vulnerable ioctl behavior. No CWE, patch identifier, exploit-in-the-wild evidence, or broader version range is provided in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory SmartOS hosts for build 20161110T013148Z.
- Check Joyent or Talos guidance for patched builds or workarounds.
- Prioritize replacing affected images when vendor-fixed builds are identified.
- Limit untrusted local users and workloads on affected hosts.
- Monitor affected systems for memory exhaustion and unexpected host denial of service.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the SmartOS build string on each candidate host.
- Determine whether Hyprlofs is present and reachable by local workloads.
- Review whether 32-bit model execution is enabled or relevant.
- Check logs and monitoring for unexplained memory growth or crashes.
- Do not assume other SmartOS versions are affected without vendor evidence.
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.
CVE-2016-9040 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.2 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H2.53.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2016-0258CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.