CVE-2016-3976: SAP NetWeaver Directory Traversal Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Nov 2021, 2,036 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 47.3%
EPSS score, percentile 98.8 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 7.5 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 3 May 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Not stated. The CVE record gives vendor and product as “n/a” and the version as “unspecified”.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 3 May 2022.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
The CVE record does not name affected products or versions: vendor and product are “n/a” and the version is “unspecified”.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java Platforms contains a directory traversal vulnerability via a ..\ (dot dot backslash) in the fileName parameter to CrashFileDownloadServlet. This allows remote attackers to read files.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2016-3976 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Nov 2021.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 3 May 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 7 Apr 2016, 2,036 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 47.3% (percentile 98.8), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact partial.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
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.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2016 | CVE record published |
| 3 Nov 2021 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 3 May 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
- 39996
- erpscan.io
- 20160618 [ERPSCAN-16-012] SAP NetWeaver AS JAVA - directory traversal vulnerability
- packetstormsecurity.com
- erpscan.io
- launchpad.support.sap.com
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