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CVE-2014-3538· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

file before 5.19 does not properly restrict the amount of data read during a regex search, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial o

file before 5.19 does not properly restrict the amount of data read during a regex search, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted file that triggers backtracking during processing of an awk rule. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-7345.

MediumCVSS 5.0 · v2.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jul 3, 2014
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
11.8% · 96th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

24

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
20 / 40 · 5.0 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
4 / 30 · 11.8%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
christos zoulasfile
phpphp
debiandebian linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • php php5.4.0 and later · before 5.4.32
  • php php5.5.0 and later · before 5.5.16

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12filebefore 1:5.19-11:5.19-1
Debian:6.0filebefore 5.04-5+squeeze75.04-5+squeeze7
Debian:6.0php5before 5.3.3-7+squeeze225.3.3-7+squeeze22
Debian:7filebefore 5.11-2+deb7u45.11-2+deb7u4
Debian:7php5before 5.4.4-14+deb7u135.4.4-14+deb7u13
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientfilebefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientfile-debuginfobefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientfile-develbefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientfile-libsbefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientfile-staticbefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::clientpython-magicbefore 0:5.04-30.el60:5.04-30.el6
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientfilebefore 0:5.11-31.el70:5.11-31.el7
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientfile-debuginfobefore 0:5.11-31.el70:5.11-31.el7
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientfile-develbefore 0:5.11-31.el70:5.11-31.el7
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientfile-libsbefore 0:5.11-31.el70:5.11-31.el7
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientfile-staticbefore 0:5.11-31.el70:5.11-31.el7
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphpbefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-bcmathbefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-clibefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-commonbefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-dbabefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-debuginfobefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-develbefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientphp-embeddedbefore 0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.10:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1

+96

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2009-3930Multiple integer overflows in Christos Zoulas file before 5.02 allow user-assisted remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a malf
    38Monitor
  • CVE-2009-1515Heap-based buffer overflow in the cdf_read_sat function in src/cdf.c in Christos Zoulas file 5.00 allows user-assisted remote attackers to e
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2012-1571file before 5.11 and libmagic allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted Composite Document File (CDF) file t
    27Monitor
  • CVE-2013-7345The BEGIN regular expression in the awk script detector in magic/Magdir/commands in file before 5.15 uses multiple wildcards with unlimited
    21Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:file1:5.19-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
debian:php55.3.3-7+squeeze22 · Debian:6.0Package registry (OSV)
red hat:php0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-bcmath0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-cli0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-common0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-dba0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-debuginfo0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-devel0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-embedded0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-enchant0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-fpm0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-gd0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:php-intl0:5.4.16-23.el7_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
P · the service can be disrupted
Attack complexity
Low
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
P

CVSS vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

All records