# What is CVE-2016-8217? > CVE-2016-8217 is a low-severity flaw (CVSS 3.7) in Bsafe Crypto-J from Dell, published on 3 February 2017. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 1.5%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix. Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/what-is/cve-2016-8217 ## At a glance - **Verdict:** Plan it in. No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle. - **Precursor Intelligence risk score:** 15 out of 100 (Info); action: Track. Kept up to date as the evidence changes. - **Severity:** Low (CVSS 3.7 out of 10) - **Known to be exploited:** No, not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today - **Chance of use in the next 30 days:** 1.5% (latest exploit-likelihood forecast) - **Published:** 3 February 2017 - **Record last updated:** 20 April 2025 - **Main product:** Bsafe Crypto-J from Dell - **Affected products:** 1 ## What is CVE-2016-8217? In plain terms It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read some data. ### The official description EMC RSA BSAFE Crypto-J versions prior to 6.2.2 has a PKCS#12 Timing Attack Vulnerability. A possible timing attack could be carried out by modifying a PKCS#12 file that has an integrity MAC for which the password is not known. An attacker could then feed the modified PKCS#12 file to the toolkit and guess the current MAC one byte at a time. This is possible because Crypto-J uses a non-constant-time method to compare the stored MAC with the calculated MAC. This vulnerability is similar to the issue described in CVE-2015-2601. ### What kind of flaw is it? - CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor ### How an attack on it works - Where an attacker can be: Anywhere on the internet - How hard it is to pull off: Hard: conditions must line up - Login needed first: No login needed - Does someone have to click: No, nobody has to do anything - What an attacker gets: Can read some data Severity vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N` ## Is CVE-2016-8217 being exploited? Not that we know of It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.5%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. Exploit likelihood over the last 7 days: 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%. ### Timeline - 3 February 2017: Published - 20 April 2025: Record last updated ### How Precursor Intelligence ranks it CVE-2016-8217 scores **15 out of 100 (Info)**, with the action "Track". Every published flaw gets a risk score from 0 to 100, kept up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, from the one that counts most to the ones that count less: - Evidence it is being exploited: biggest factor - How severe it is: strong factor - How widely exposed it is: smaller factor - Threat activity around it: smaller factor 85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score. When this flaw matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it. ## Who is affected by CVE-2016-8217? The published record lists 1 product. Versions are as published: "before 6.2.2" means every version up to, but not including, 6.2.2. - [Bsafe Crypto-J](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/dell/bsafe_crypto-j) by [Dell](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/dell) (Application): before 6.2.2 ## How do I fix CVE-2016-8217? 1. **Check whether you run it.** Compare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list. 2. **Apply the vendor’s fix.** Install the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details. 3. **If you can’t patch today.** Follow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in. 4. **Keep an eye on it.** Track the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood. ### References - [securityfocus.com](http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/540066/30/0/threaded) (Mailing list, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database) - [securityfocus.com](http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95831) (Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database) - [securitytracker.com](http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037732) (Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database) ## Questions ### What is CVE-2016-8217? CVE-2016-8217 is a low-severity flaw in Bsafe Crypto-J from Dell, published on 3 February 2017. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read some data. ### How serious is CVE-2016-8217? It scores 3.7 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is low. Our risk score for CVE-2016-8217 is 15 out of 100, which is Info. Its action is "Track". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle. ### Is CVE-2016-8217 being exploited? It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 1.5%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. ### Which versions does CVE-2016-8217 affect? For Bsafe Crypto-J from Dell: before 6.2.2. ### How do I fix CVE-2016-8217? Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet. ## Does CVE-2016-8217 affect you? Precursor Intelligence keeps checking for you: - **Tell us what you run.** Pick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website. - **We match it to every flaw.** Over 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list. - **Ranked by real-world risk.** Every flaw gets a 0 to 100 risk score, kept up to date, led by evidence criminals are using it. - **Told as soon as we know.** An alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools. Start free (no card, nothing to install): https://www.precursorintelligence.com/register Book a demo: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/contact