CVE-2016-3976
Path Traversal in Sap Netweaver Application Server Java 7.10 – 7.50
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2016-3976 is a high-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Sap Netweaver Application Server Java. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2016-3976 is a directory traversal vulnerability, tracked as CWE-22, that affects SAP NetWeaver AS Java versions 7.1 through 7.5. The flaw resides in CrashFileDownloadServlet and permits an attacker to supply a ..\ sequence in the fileName parameter, enabling read access to arbitrary files on the underlying system. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 with a network attack vector and no required authentication or user interaction.
Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit the issue over the network to retrieve sensitive files, resulting in high-impact confidentiality exposure while leaving integrity and availability unaffected. Public exploit code and proof-of-concept reports have been published that demonstrate file retrieval against the servlet endpoint.
SAP Security Note 2234971 addresses the vulnerability and is referenced by multiple disclosure sources as the official remediation channel; practitioners should apply the note according to SAP guidance to close the traversal vector.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2016-4985
Vulnerability Data
Directory traversal vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver AS Java 7.1 through 7.5 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a ..\ (dot dot backslash) in the fileName parameter to CrashFileDownloadServlet, aka SAP Security Note 2234971.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 03 November 2021
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.