CVE-2002-0914: Double Precision Courier e-mail MTA allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via

Routine

MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADE

CVE-2002-0914 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting courier mta. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Double Precision Courier e-mail MTA allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a message with an extremely large or negative value for the year, which causes a tight loop.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	1.7% (top 23%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2002-10-04
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: double precision incorporated

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2002-10-04 04:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 21:58 UTCUpdated Record last modified

double precision incorporated courier mta DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.38.1

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.38.1

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy courier-mta || rpm -q courier-mta || courier-mta --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.38.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison courier-mta sudo apt install courier-mta=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.38.1> sudo apt-mark hold courier-mta

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list courier-mta sudo dnf downgrade courier-mta-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.38.1> sudo dnf versionlock add courier-mta

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.

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-2002-0914?

courier mta: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2002-0914 being exploited?

CVE-2002-0914 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-2002-0914 affect?

CVE-2002-0914 affects courier mta. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Double Precision Courier e-mail MTA allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a message with an extremely large or negative value for the year, which causes a tight loop.

How urgent is CVE-2002-0914?

Priority 37/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Related CVEs

CVE-2006-2659 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE libs/comverp.c in Courier MTA before 0.53.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) vi
CVE-2004-0224 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE Multiple buffer overflows in (1) iso2022jp.c or (2) shiftjis.c for Courier-IMAP before 3.0.0, Courier before 0
CVE-2003-0040 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE SQL injection vulnerability in the PostgreSQL auth module for courier 0.40 and earlier allows remote attackers
CVE-2002-1311 MEDIUM 4.6 DOWNGRADE Courier sqwebmail before 0.40.0 does not quickly drop privileges after startup in certain cases, which could a

References

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