Back
CVE-2004-2264
Format string bug in the open_altfile function in filename.c for GNU less 382, 381, and 358 might allow local users to cause a denial of…
Medium6.4EPSS 2.0%
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- mitre
Description
Format string bug in the open_altfile function in filename.c for GNU less 382, 381, and 358 might allow local users to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code via format strings in the LESSOPEN environment variable. NOTE: since less is not setuid or setgid, then this is not a vulnerability unless there are plausible scenarios under which privilege boundaries could be crossed
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 2.0 | Medium6.4 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 2.0% · top 19% of all CVEs (2 Nov 2026)
Loading the EPSS history…
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 6.4.
Weakness
- n/a
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References (5)
- 9014 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_OSVDBx_transferred
- 1010988 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- less-filename-format-string(17032) (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_XFx_transferred
- 20040818 gnu-less Format String Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCx_transferred
- 20040818 Re: gnu-less Format String Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Record last updated .