CVE-2004-1617: Lynx, lynx-ssl, and lynx-cur before 2.8.6dev.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite l

This month

MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADE

CVE-2004-1617 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting lynx. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Lynx, lynx-ssl, and lynx-cur before 2.8.6dev.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a web page or HTML email that contains invalid HTML including (1) a TEXTAREA tag with a large COLS value and (2) a large tag name in an element that is not terminated, as demonstrated by mangleme. NOTE: a followup suggests that the relevant trigger for this issue is the large COLS value.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	3.8% (top 10%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-20
Published	2004-10-18
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: university of kansas

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2004-10-18 04:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 22:08 UTCUpdated Record last modified

university of kansas lynx DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.7 · 2.8 · 2.8.1 · 2.8.2_rel1 · 2.8.3 · 2.8.3_dev22 · 2.8.3_pre5 · 2.8.3_rel1

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.7

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy lynx || rpm -q lynx || lynx --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.7 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison lynx sudo apt install lynx=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.7> sudo apt-mark hold lynx

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

dnf --showduplicates list lynx sudo dnf downgrade lynx-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.7> sudo dnf versionlock add lynx

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-2004-1617?

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

Is CVE-2004-1617 being exploited?

CVE-2004-1617 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-2004-1617 affect?

CVE-2004-1617 affects lynx. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Lynx, lynx-ssl, and lynx-cur before 2.8.6dev.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a web page or HTML email that contains invalid HTML including (1) a TEXTAREA tag with a large COLS value and (2) a large

How urgent is CVE-2004-1617?

Priority 45/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2021-38165 MEDIUM 5.3 UPGRADE MITIGATE Lynx through 2.8.9 mishandles the userinfo subcomponent of a URI, which allows remote attackers to discover cl
CVE-2017-1000211 MEDIUM 5.3 DOWNGRADE Lynx before 2.8.9dev.16 is vulnerable to a use after free in the HTML parser resulting in memory disclosure, b
CVE-2016-9179 HIGH 7.5 MITIGATE lynx: It was found that Lynx doesn't parse the authority component of the URL correctly when the host name par
CVE-2014-5002 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE The lynx gem before 1.0.0 for Ruby places the configured password on command lines, which allows local users t
CVE-2012-5821 MEDIUM 5.9 MITIGATE MITIGATE Lynx does not verify that the server's certificate is signed by a trusted certification authority, which allow

References

← Back to latest CVEs