CVE-2004-2022: ActivePerl 5.8.x and others, and Larry Wall's Perl 5.6.1 and others, when running on Windows systems, allows a

Routine

LOW 2.1DOWNGRADE

CVE-2004-2022 is a low-severity flaw (CVSS 2.1) affecting activeperl. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

ActivePerl 5.8.x and others, and Larry Wall's Perl 5.6.1 and others, when running on Windows systems, allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long argument to the system command, which leads to a stack-based buffer overflow. NOTE: it is unclear whether this bug is in Perl or the OS API that is used by Perl.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	2.1 (Low)
EPSS exploit chance	1.7% (top 22%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2004-12-31
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: activestate

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2004-12-31 05:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 22:08 UTCUpdated Record last modified

activestate activeperl DOWNGRADE

Affected: 5.6.1 · 5.6.1.630 · 5.6.2 · 5.6.3 · 5.7.1 · 5.7.2 · 5.7.3 · 5.8

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 5.6.1

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 5.6.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison activeperl sudo apt install activeperl=<VERSION_BEFORE_5.6.1> sudo apt-mark hold activeperl

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

dnf --showduplicates list activeperl sudo dnf downgrade activeperl-<VERSION_BEFORE_5.6.1> sudo dnf versionlock add activeperl

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.

Exploit-DB: ActivePerl 5.x / Cygwin 1.5.x - System Function Call Buffer Overflow

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-2004-2022?

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

Is CVE-2004-2022 being exploited?

CVE-2004-2022 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-2004-2022 affect?

CVE-2004-2022 affects activeperl. Severity is low (CVSS 2.1). ActivePerl 5.8.x and others, and Larry Wall's Perl 5.6.1 and others, when running on Windows systems, allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long argument to the system command, which

How urgent is CVE-2004-2022?

Priority 32/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

Windows vulnerabilities · Perl vulnerabilities

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CVE-2004-0377 HIGH 10.0 MITIGATE UPGRADE Buffer overflow in the win32_stat function for (1) ActiveState's ActivePerl and (2) Larry Wall's Perl before 5
CVE-2001-0815 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Buffer overflow in PerlIS.dll in Activestate ActivePerl 5.6.1.629 and earlier allows remote attackers to execu

References

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