Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2004-0658

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-08-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Integer overflow in the hpsb_alloc_packet function (incorrectly reported as alloc_hpsb_packet) in IEEE 1394 (Firewire) driver 2.4 and 2.6 allows local users to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via the functions (1) raw1394_write, (2) state_connected, (3) handle_remote_request, or (4) hpsb_make_writebpacket.

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

Integer overflow in the hpsb_alloc_packet function in the Linux kernel's IEEE 1394 (Firewire) driver allows local users to trigger a denial of service via crash and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution through the raw1394_write, state_connected, handle_remote_request, or hpsb_make_writebpacket functions.

MitigationUpdate the Linux kernel to a version that includes the patched hpsb_alloc_packet function with proper integer overflow protection, or disable the IEEE 1394/Firewire driver if not required.

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:= 2.4.0= 2.4.1= 2.4.2= 2.4.3= 2.4.4= 2.4.5= 2.4.6= 2.4.7= 2.4.8= 2.4.9= 2.4.10= 2.4.11

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the running kernel version
    Affected if The version is 2.4.0 through 2.4.11 (exact match to any of these)
  2. Verify IEEE 1394 driver is present
    Run 'lsmod | grep -E "(ieee1394|ohci1394|raw1394)"' to check if any Firewire-related kernel modules are loaded
    Affected if Any of these modules (ieee1394, ohci1394, raw1394) appear in the loaded module list
  3. Check for raw1394 device node
    Run 'ls -l /dev/raw1394' to see if the raw1394 character device exists
    Affected if The device file /dev/raw1394 exists and is accessible
  4. Confirm driver availability
    Check /proc/ksyms or use 'cat /proc/modules' to enumerate loaded kernel modules for firewire components
    Affected if The IEEE 1394 subsystem modules are listed as loaded

A system is affected if it runs a Linux kernel version 2.4.0 through 2.4.11 AND has the IEEE 1394/Firewire driver modules loaded or the raw1394 device accessible.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update the Linux kernel to a version that includes the patched hpsb_alloc_packet function with proper integer overflow protection, or disable the IEEE 1394/Firewire driver if not required.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2004-0658 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