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CVE-2000-0476: xterm, Eterm, and rxvt allow an attacker to cause a denial of service by embedding certain escape characters w

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This month
MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADEDOWNGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2000-0476 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting eterm, putty, rxvt. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

xterm, Eterm, and rxvt allow an attacker to cause a denial of service by embedding certain escape characters which force the window to be resized.

Why this priority

  • Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance2.5% (top 15%)
CISA exploited listNo
Published2000-06-01
Last modified2026-06-16
Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: michael jennings · putty · rxvt · xfree86 project

Share: LinkedIn · X · Reddit

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

michael jennings eterm DOWNGRADE
Affected: 0.8.10
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.8.10
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy eterm || rpm -q eterm || eterm --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.8.10 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison eterm sudo apt install eterm=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.10> sudo apt-mark hold eterm
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list eterm sudo dnf downgrade eterm-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.8.10> sudo dnf versionlock add eterm
Downgrade risk
Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.
After downgrade
Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.
putty putty DOWNGRADE
Affected: 0.48
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.48
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy putty || rpm -q putty || putty --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.48 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison putty sudo apt install putty=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.48> sudo apt-mark hold putty
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list putty sudo dnf downgrade putty-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.48> sudo dnf versionlock add putty
Downgrade risk
Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.
After downgrade
Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.
rxvt rxvt DOWNGRADE
Affected: 2.6.1
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.6.1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy rxvt || rpm -q rxvt || rxvt --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.6.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison rxvt sudo apt install rxvt=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.6.1> sudo apt-mark hold rxvt
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list rxvt sudo dnf downgrade rxvt-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.6.1> sudo dnf versionlock add rxvt
Downgrade risk
Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.
After downgrade
Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.
xfree86 project x11r6 DOWNGRADE
Affected: 3.3.3 · 4.0
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 3.3.3
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy x11r6 || rpm -q x11r6 || x11r6 --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 3.3.3 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison x11r6 sudo apt install x11r6=<VERSION_BEFORE_3.3.3> sudo apt-mark hold x11r6
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list x11r6 sudo dnf downgrade x11r6-<VERSION_BEFORE_3.3.3> sudo dnf versionlock add x11r6
Downgrade risk
Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.
After downgrade
Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2000-0476?

eterm: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; putty: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; rxvt: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2000-0476 being exploited?

CVE-2000-0476 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2000-0476 affect?

CVE-2000-0476 affects eterm, putty, rxvt. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). xterm, Eterm, and rxvt allow an attacker to cause a denial of service by embedding certain escape characters which force the window to be resized.

How urgent is CVE-2000-0476?

Priority 44/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

PuTTY vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

References

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