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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2005-2459

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-08-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 huft_build function in inflate.c in the zlib routines in the Linux kernel before 2.6.12.5 returns the wrong value, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (kernel crash) via a certain compressed file that leads to a null pointer dereference, a different vulnerability than CVE-2005-2458.

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

A vulnerability in the huft_build function in inflate.c in the Linux kernel's zlib routines before version 2.6.12.5 causes the function to return an incorrect value. When processing a specially crafted compressed file, this leads to a null pointer dereference, resulting in a kernel crash and denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade the Linux kernel to version 2.6.12.5 or later, which contains the corrected huft_build function that properly validates return values before dereferencing pointers.

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:= 2.6.0= 2.6.1= 2.6.2= 2.6.3= 2.6.4= 2.6.5= 2.6.6= 2.6.7= 2.6.8= 2.6.8.1= 2.6.8.1.5= 2.6.9
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 3.1

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
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. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or read '/proc/version' to obtain the running kernel version string
    Affected if The version is earlier than 2.6.12.5 (for example, 2.6.0 through 2.6.9 are affected)
  2. Check Debian kernel package version
    On Debian systems, run 'dpkg -l | grep linux-image' or 'apt-cache policy linux-image-$(uname -r)' to list the installed kernel package version
    Affected if The installed kernel package version corresponds to a release earlier than 2.6.12.5
  3. Verify zlib inflate usage context
    Identify if the system uses kernel zlib decompression: check for compressed kernel config (CONFIG_ZLIB), compressed initrd, or compressed filesystem usage via 'zcat' or 'gunzip' operations in kernel context
    Affected if The kernel uses zlib decompression for any feature (this is built into the kernel and typically enabled by default)

The system is affected if the running kernel version is any version from 2.6.0 through 2.6.9, or Debian 3.1 with a kernel prior to 2.6.12.5.

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

Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 2.6.12.5 or later, which contains the corrected huft_build function that properly validates return values before dereferencing pointers.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2005-2459 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
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