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HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2005-2970

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-10-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.55 or later.
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
Memory leak in the worker MPM (worker.c) for Apache 2, in certain circumstances, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via aborted connections, which prevents the memory for the transaction pool from being reused for other connections.

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

Memory leak in Apache 2's worker MPM (worker.c) where aborted connections fail to release transaction pool memory for reuse, causing progressive memory consumption and eventual denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of Apache 2 that addresses the worker MPM memory leak, or apply vendor-supplied patches to worker.c.

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:>= 2.0.36, < 2.0.55
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.10= 5.04= 5.10
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 3.0= 4.0
Fedora CoreOperating system
Affected:= 4

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 Apache HTTP Server version
    Run `apache2 -v` or `httpd -v` to display the installed version number
    Affected if Version is 2.0.36 or higher but lower than 2.0.55
  2. Identify the active Multi-Processing Module
    Run `apache2ctl -M` or `apache2ctl -l` to list compiled-in modules and identify the MPM in use
    Affected if The output shows 'worker' as the MPM (versus prefork, event, or other MPMs)
  3. Verify worker MPM configuration
    Check the Apache configuration for MPM settings: look in /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/ for mpm_worker.conf or inspect the main config for 'LoadModule mpm_worker_module'
    Affected if Worker MPM module is explicitly loaded or configured
  4. Confirm memory leak symptom
    Monitor Apache worker processes over time using tools like `ps aux` or process monitoring - the resident memory size should show progressive growth under load
    Affected if Worker process memory grows continuously without stabilization under normal or elevated connection traffic

You are affected if running Apache HTTP Server version 2.0.36 through 2.0.54 with the worker MPM enabled, where aborted connections accumulate and cause memory to grow unbounded.

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 2.0.55 or later
Fixed in 2.0.55
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of Apache 2 that addresses the worker MPM memory leak, or apply vendor-supplied patches to worker.c.

Fix this in HTTP Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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-2005-2970 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