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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2004-0594

MEDIUM · 5.1 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-07-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.3.7 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The memory_limit functionality in PHP 4.x up to 4.3.7, and 5.x up to 5.0.0RC3, under certain conditions such as when register_globals is enabled, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by triggering a memory_limit abort during execution of the zend_hash_init function and overwriting a HashTable destructor pointer before the initialization of key data structures is complete.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

PHP's memory_limit functionality in versions 4.x up to 4.3.7 and 5.x up to 5.0.0RC3 contains a memory corruption vulnerability. When register_globals is enabled, an attacker can trigger a memory_limit abort during zend_hash_init execution and overwrite a HashTable destructor pointer before key data structures are fully initialized, enabling arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade PHP to version 4.3.8 or later (PHP 4) or 5.0.1 or later (PHP 5). As a defense-in-depth measure, disable register_globals if still in use.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 3.0
PHPApplication
Affected:>= 4.0, < 4.3.7= 5.0.0
OpenpkgApplication
Affected:= 2.0= 2.1
Converged Communications ServerHardware / appliance
Affected:= 2.0
Hp UxOperating system
Affected:= b.11.00= b.11.11= b.11.22= b.11.23
Secure LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 1.5= 2.0= 2.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check PHP version
    Run 'php -v' or 'phpinfo()' to determine the installed PHP version number
    Affected if Version is 4.0.0 through 4.3.7, or 5.0.0 through 5.0.0RC3 (including 5.0.0)
  2. Locate PHP configuration file
    Find php.ini - common paths are /etc/php.ini, /etc/httpd/conf/php.ini, or run 'php -i | grep "Loaded Configuration File"'
    Affected if The configuration file exists and can be read for the next check
  3. Verify register_globals setting
    In php.ini, look for 'register_globals = On' or check with 'php -i | grep register_globals'
    Affected if register_globals is set to On (enabled) in the active php.ini or at runtime
  4. Confirm memory_limit configuration
    Check if 'memory_limit' directive is set in php.ini (any value enables the vulnerable code path), verify with 'php -i | grep memory_limit'
    Affected if memory_limit is explicitly set to any value (even low values trigger the vulnerable abort condition)

You are affected if PHP version is 4.0.0-4.3.7 or 5.0.0-5.0.0RC3 AND register_globals is enabled, regardless of memory_limit value.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.3.7 or later
Fixed in 4.3.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PHP to version 4.3.8 or later (PHP 4) or 5.0.1 or later (PHP 5). As a defense-in-depth measure, disable register_globals if still in use.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,288.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-0594 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data