CVE-2005-3120

Name: CVE-2005-3120
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2005-10-17T20:06:00+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 23.26%

Last modified Jun 16, 2026

CVE-2005-3120 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. Stack-based buffer overflow in the HTrjis function in Lynx 2.8.6 and earlier allows remote NNTP servers to execute arbitrary code via certain article headers containing Asian characters that cause Lynx to add extra escape (ESC) characters.. EPSS estimates a 23.26% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Stack-based buffer overflow in the HTrjis function in Lynx 2.8.6 and earlier allows remote NNTP servers to execute arbitrary code via certain article headers containing Asian characters that cause Lynx to add extra escape (ESC) characters.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

23.26%

97.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-131

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Invisible-Island	Lynx	<= 2.8.6
Debian	Debian Linux	3.0
Debian	Debian Linux	3.1

References

ftp://ftp.sco.com/pub/updates/OpenServer/SCOSA-2006.7/SCOSA-2006.7.txtBroken Link
ftp://ftp.sco.com/pub/updates/UnixWare/SCOSA-2005.47/SCOSA-2005.47.txtBroken Link
http://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-disclosure/2005-October/038019.htmlBroken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory
http://lists.trustix.org/pipermail/tsl-announce/2005-October/000354.htmlBroken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17150Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17216Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17230Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17231Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17238Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17248Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17340Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17360Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17444Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17445Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17480Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/18376Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/18584Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/20383Broken Link
http://securitytracker.com/id?1015065Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://slackware.com/security/viewer.php?l=slackware-security&y=2005&m=slackware-security.423056Broken Link
http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-010.htmThird Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-874Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-876Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2006/dsa-1085Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200510-15.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDKSA-2005:186Third Party Advisory
http://www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2005_25_sr.htmlBroken Link
http://www.openpkg.org/security/OpenPKG-SA-2005.026-lynx.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2005-803.htmlBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/419763/100/0/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/435689/30/4740/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/15117Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=170253Issue Tracking
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A9257Broken Link
https://usn.ubuntu.com/206-1/Broken Link
ftp://ftp.sco.com/pub/updates/OpenServer/SCOSA-2006.7/SCOSA-2006.7.txtBroken Link
ftp://ftp.sco.com/pub/updates/UnixWare/SCOSA-2005.47/SCOSA-2005.47.txtBroken Link
http://lists.grok.org.uk/pipermail/full-disclosure/2005-October/038019.htmlBroken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory
http://lists.trustix.org/pipermail/tsl-announce/2005-October/000354.htmlBroken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17150Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17216Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17230Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17231Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17238Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17248Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17340Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17360Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17444Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17445Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/17480Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/18376Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/18584Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/20383Broken Link
http://securitytracker.com/id?1015065Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://slackware.com/security/viewer.php?l=slackware-security&y=2005&m=slackware-security.423056Broken Link
http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-010.htmThird Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-874Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2005/dsa-876Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2006/dsa-1085Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200510-15.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDKSA-2005:186Third Party Advisory
http://www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2005_25_sr.htmlBroken Link
http://www.openpkg.org/security/OpenPKG-SA-2005.026-lynx.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2005-803.htmlBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/419763/100/0/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/435689/30/4740/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/15117Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=170253Issue Tracking
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A9257Broken Link
https://usn.ubuntu.com/206-1/Broken Link

Timeline

Published: Oct 17, 2005
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2005-3120?

How severe is CVE-2005-3120?

CVE-2005-3120 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 23.26% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2005-3120?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2005-3120?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST