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HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2004-0942

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-02-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.0.52 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
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
Apache webserver 2.0.52 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via an HTTP GET request with a MIME header containing multiple lines with a large number of space characters.

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

Apache HTTP Server 2.0.52 and earlier contains a denial-of-service vulnerability where remote attackers can cause excessive CPU consumption by sending HTTP GET requests with MIME headers containing multiple lines populated with a large number of space characters, leading to CPU exhaustion on the server.

MitigationUpgrade Apache to version 2.0.53 or later, or apply the vendor security patch for the affected version.

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
HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy
Affected:<= 2.0.52

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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. Determine installed Apache version
    Run 'apache2 -v' or 'httpd -v' depending on your system, or check the version file typically at /usr/sbin/apache2 or /usr/sbin/httpd
    Affected if The version displayed is 2.0.52 or earlier (e.g., 2.0.51, 2.0.50, etc.)
  2. Confirm Apache is running and listening
    Run 'netstat -tuln | grep -E ':(80|443)' or 'ss -tuln | grep -E ':(80|443)' to check if Apache is accepting connections
    Affected if Apache is actively listening on HTTP ports and is accessible over the network
  3. Check if mod_php or CGI is enabled
    Review Apache configuration files (httpd.conf, apache2.conf) for 'LoadModule php_module' or ScriptAlias directives
    Affected if PHP or CGI modules are loaded, as the vulnerable MIME header parsing affects request processing across modules

You are affected if Apache HTTP Server version 2.0.52 or earlier is installed and the server is accepting HTTP connections, regardless of configuration, since the vulnerability is in the core request parsing layer.

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 a release after 2.0.52
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache to version 2.0.53 or later, or apply the vendor security patch for the affected version.

Fix this in HTTP Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2004-0942 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