dbcve.org
HTTP ServerWeb server / proxy · Apache

CVE-2025-53020

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.4.64 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Late Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server. This issue affects Apache HTTP Server: from 2.4.17 up to 2.4.63. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.4.64, which fixes the issue.

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 late release of memory after effective lifetime vulnerability exists in Apache HTTP Server versions 2.4.17 through 2.4.63. This is a memory management flaw where memory is accessed or referenced after it has been released, potentially leading to undefined behavior, crashes, or potentially remote code execution in certain contexts.

MitigationUpgrade Apache HTTP Server to version 2.4.64 or later. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with existing configurations and modules.

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:>= 2.4.17, < 2.4.64

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 Apache HTTP Server version
    Run 'httpd -v' (or 'apache2 -v' on Debian-based systems) to retrieve the server version number
    Affected if The installed version is 2.4.17 or higher but lower than 2.4.64
  2. Confirm Apache is running
    Check process status with 'ps aux | grep httpd' or 'systemctl status httpd' (or apache2)
    Affected if Apache is not running, the vulnerability cannot be triggered in the current session
  3. Identify loaded Apache modules
    Run 'httpd -M' (or 'apache2ctl -M') to list compiled and loaded modules
    Affected if Modules that handle request processing or memory-intensive operations are loaded, increasing the attack surface for this memory management flaw
  4. Review active configuration files
    Inspect the main Apache configuration (httpd.conf or apache2.conf) and included files for any non-standard or third-party module加载
    Affected if Custom or third-party modules are in use, which may interact with the vulnerable memory management code path

You are affected if Apache HTTP Server is running version 2.4.17 through 2.4.63 and the server handles requests with modules that exercise the vulnerable memory management code path.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.4.64 or later
Fixed in 2.4.64
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache HTTP Server to version 2.4.64 or later. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with existing configurations and modules.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache HTTP Server 2.4.64

  1. 1. Check current Apache HTTP Server version using: apache2 -v or httpd -v
  2. 2. Review current configuration files in /etc/apache2/ or /etc/httpd/ for any custom settings
  3. 3. For Debian/Ubuntu: Update package repository and upgrade: sudo apt update && sudo apt install apache2
  4. 4. For RHEL/CentOS: sudo yum update httpd or sudo dnf update httpd
  5. 5. For source installations: Download Apache HTTP Server 2.4.64 from httpd.apache.org and recompile
  6. 6. After upgrade, restart Apache: sudo systemctl restart apache2 or sudo systemctl restart httpd
  7. 7. Verify the new version is installed: apache2 -v or httpd -v
  8. 8. Test that web services are functioning correctly and review error logs for any issues
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically do not introduce breaking changes, but test your configuration and custom modules against the new version before deploying to production

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

Fix this in HTTP Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,040.

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-2025-53020 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