CVE-2005-2096

7.5 HIGH 6% exploit odds Fix listed Memory safety

What it is

zlib 1.2 and later versions allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted compressed stream with an incomplete code description of a length greater than 1, which leads to a buffer overflow, as demonstrated using a crafted PNG file.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. Limited direct impact.
Exploit odds: 5.6% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2005-07-06 04:00 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-07-14 12:16 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 5.6% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.5 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2005-07-06 04:00 UTC
Last modified: 2026-07-14 12:16 UTC
Exploit probability: 5.6% · EPSS, next 30 days
Record status: Modified

Affected

Zlib 1.2.0
Zlib 1.2.1
Zlib 1.2.2

Attack profile CVSS 2.0 · 7.5

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Partial
Integrity: Partial
Availability: Partial

Raw vector

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

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2005-2096.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2005-2096. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record