dbcve.org
Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2004-1137

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Multiple vulnerabilities in the IGMP functionality for Linux kernel 2.4.22 to 2.4.28, and 2.6.x to 2.6.9, allow local and remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via (1) the ip_mc_source function, which decrements a counter to -1, or (2) the igmp_marksources function, which does not properly validate IGMP message parameters and performs an out-of-bounds read.

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 underflow in the ip_mc_source function allows decrementing a reference counter to -1, leading to potential denial of service or arbitrary code execution. Additionally, the igmp_marksources function fails to properly validate IGMP message parameters, resulting in an out-of-bounds read vulnerability. Both vulnerabilities are present in Linux kernel IGMP implementations and can be exploited by remote attackers sending specially crafted IGMP packets.

MitigationUpgrade the Linux kernel to a version beyond 2.4.28 or 2.6.9 that contains the fix, or apply the vendor-supplied kernel patches for this vulnerability. For legacy systems, consider network-level filtering of IGMP traffic as a temporary compensating control.

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
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.1

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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. Determine the running Linux kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the kernel version
    Affected if The version matches 2.4.0 through 2.4.11, or the system runs Ubuntu 4.1 with the listed kernel versions
  2. Verify if IGMP protocol support is enabled in the kernel
    Check /proc/net/igmp or /proc/net/igmp6 to see if IGMP is active; also check kernel configuration for CONFIG_IP_MULTICAST and CONFIG_IP_MROUTE
    Affected if IGMP is enabled and the kernel version is in the affected range, as the vulnerability lies in the IGMP handling code path
  3. Identify if the system is participating in any multicast groups
    Run 'netstat -g' or 'ip maddr show' to list joined multicast groups; also check /proc/net/dev_mcast for multicast membership entries
    Affected if The system has active IGMP multicast group memberships and runs a vulnerable kernel version, making it potentially exploitable via crafted IGMP packets
  4. Confirm IGMP daemon or user-space tools are in use
    Check for processes like 'mrouted' or IGMP querier functionality; examine /var/log for IGMP-related messages or errors
    Affected if IGMP-related services are running on a vulnerable kernel version

A system is affected if it runs Linux kernel 2.4.0 through 2.4.11 (or Ubuntu 4.1) and has IGMP protocol support enabled, as the integer underflow and out-of-bounds read flaws exist in the kernel IGMP implementation and can be triggered by malicious IGMP packets.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version beyond 2.4.28 or 2.6.9 that contains the fix, or apply the vendor-supplied kernel patches for this vulnerability. For legacy systems, consider network-level filtering of IGMP traffic as a temporary compensating control.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a modern Long Term Support (LTS) kernel such as Linux 5.4 LTS or later; for Ubuntu systems, upgrade to at least Ubuntu 10.04 LTS or later which includes patched kernels

  1. 1. Identify the current kernel version running on the system using 'uname -r'
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade, as it will require a system reboot
  3. 3. Update the package repository metadata: 'apt-get update' (Debian/Ubuntu) or use your distribution's package manager
  4. 4. Install a newer kernel package. For Ubuntu 4.1 (Jaunty), this would be the latest available kernel in the repository
  5. 5. Update bootloader configuration if necessary (GRUB will typically handle this automatically)
  6. 6. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  7. 7. Verify the new kernel is running with 'uname -r' and confirm the IGMP vulnerability is addressed
Caveat Older kernels from 2004 era may have hardware driver incompatibilities when upgrading to modern kernels; ensure application compatibility and backup data before performing the upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing24.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,520
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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-2004-1137 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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