CVE-2004-2589: Gaim before 0.82 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a long HTTP Conten

Routine

MEDIUM 5.0DOWNGRADE

CVE-2004-2589 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting gaim. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Gaim before 0.82 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a long HTTP Content-Length header, which causes Gaim to abort when attempting to allocate memory.

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	1.5% (top 25%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2004-12-31
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: rob flynn

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 22:09 UTCUpdated Record last modified

rob flynn gaim DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.10 · 0.10.3 · 0.50 · 0.51 · 0.52 · 0.53 · 0.54 · 0.55

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.10

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.10 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison gaim sudo apt install gaim=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.10> sudo apt-mark hold gaim

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

dnf --showduplicates list gaim sudo dnf downgrade gaim-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.10> sudo dnf versionlock add gaim

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-2004-2589?

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

Is CVE-2004-2589 being exploited?

CVE-2004-2589 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-2004-2589 affect?

CVE-2004-2589 affects gaim. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Gaim before 0.82 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a long HTTP Content-Length header, which causes Gaim to abort when attempting to allocate memory.

How urgent is CVE-2004-2589?

Priority 36/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

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References

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