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CVE-2004-0590: FreeS/WAN 1.x and 2.x, and other related products including superfreeswan 1.x, openswan 1.x before 1.0.6, open

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HIGH 10.0DOWNGRADEDOWNGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2004-0590 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 10.0) affecting frees wan, super frees wan, openswan. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

FreeS/WAN 1.x and 2.x, and other related products including superfreeswan 1.x, openswan 1.x before 1.0.6, openswan 2.x before 2.1.4, and strongSwan before 2.1.3, allows remote attackers to authenticate using spoofed PKCS#7 certificates in which a self-signed certificate identifies an alternate Certificate Authority (CA) and spoofed issuer and subject.

Why this priority

  • Critical severity

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score10.0 (High)
EPSS exploit chance2.8% (top 13%)
CISA exploited listNo
Published2004-12-06
Last modified2026-06-16
Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: frees wan · openswan · strongswan

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

frees wan frees wan DOWNGRADE
Affected: 1 · 2
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy frees-wan || rpm -q frees-wan || frees-wan --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison frees-wan sudo apt install frees-wan=<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo apt-mark hold frees-wan
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list frees-wan sudo dnf downgrade frees-wan-<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo dnf versionlock add frees-wan
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.
frees wan super frees wan DOWNGRADE
Affected: 1
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy super-frees-wan || rpm -q super-frees-wan || super-frees-wan --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison super-frees-wan sudo apt install super-frees-wan=<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo apt-mark hold super-frees-wan
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list super-frees-wan sudo dnf downgrade super-frees-wan-<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo dnf versionlock add super-frees-wan
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.
openswan openswan DOWNGRADE
Affected: 1 · 2
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy openswan || rpm -q openswan || openswan --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison openswan sudo apt install openswan=<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo apt-mark hold openswan
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list openswan sudo dnf downgrade openswan-<VERSION_BEFORE_1> sudo dnf versionlock add openswan
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.
strongswan strongswan UPGRADE
Affected: <= 2.1.2
Fixed in: newer than 2.1.2
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy strongswan || rpm -q strongswan || strongswan --version
2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.1.2 (Debian / Ubuntu)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade strongswan
2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
sudo dnf upgrade strongswan
Note
Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.
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-2004-0590?

frees wan: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; super frees wan: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; openswan: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2004-0590 being exploited?

CVE-2004-0590 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-2004-0590 affect?

CVE-2004-0590 affects frees wan, super frees wan, openswan. Severity is high (CVSS 10.0). FreeS/WAN 1.x and 2.x, and other related products including superfreeswan 1.x, openswan 1.x before 1.0.6, openswan 2.x before 2.1.4, and strongSwan before 2.1.3, allows remote attackers to authenticate using spoofed PKCS#7 certificates in w

How urgent is CVE-2004-0590?

Priority 57/100. Critical severity

Software pages

strongSwan vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

References

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