What is CVE-2005-2459?

CVE-2005-2459 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.0 out of 10, classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476). CVE-2005-2459 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2005-2459?

CVE-2005-2459 has a CVSS score of 5.0 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2005-2459?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2005-2459. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2005-2459 actively exploited?

CVE-2005-2459 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/476.html

CVE-2005-2459

Medium

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.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2005-08-23

Last modified 2026-04-16

CVSS version 2.0

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 2.0 score

5.0

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

User Interaction

Scope

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

Vector string

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2005-2459 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2005-2459 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Bugs
http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=94584

Third Party Advisory
Kernel.org
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.12.5

Vendor Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/16355/

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/16500

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/17826

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/17918

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/18056

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/18059

Permissions Required Third Party Advisory
Debian Security
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-921

Third Party Advisory
Debian Security
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-922

Third Party Advisory
Mandriva
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDKSA-2005:219
Mandriva
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDKSA-2005:220
Novell
http://www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2005_50_kernel.html

Broken Link
Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/419522/100/0/threaded
Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/14720

Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
Ubuntu Security
https://usn.ubuntu.com/169-1/

Details

CVE ID CVE-2005-2459

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.0 / 10

CVSS version 2.0

Published 2005-08-23

Modified 2026-04-16

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2005-2459?

CVE-2005-2459 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.0 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . CVE-2005-2459 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2005-2459?

CVE-2005-2459 has a CVSS score of 5.0 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 2.0). The vector string is AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2005-2459?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2005-2459. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2005-2459 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2005-2459 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →