CVE-2002-0059

The decompression algorithm in zlib 1.1.3 and earlier, as used in many different utilities and packages, causes inflateEnd to release certain memory more than once (a "double free"), which may allow local and remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a block of malformed compression data.

Published: 2002-03-15 Last update: 2026-04-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2002-0059 is rated High Risk (73.4/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 28.52%, 97th percentile). EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2002-0059

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-03 28.07% 28.52% +0.45%
2 2026-03-30 28.58% 28.07% -0.52%
3 2026-03-23 — 28.58% —

Full EPSS history (19 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2002-0059

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
7.5 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 10.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2002-0059

OS Trackers for CVE-2002-0059

vendor priority summary link
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2002-0059

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2002-0059

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
zlib zlib <= 1.1.3 cpe:2.3:a:zlib:zlib:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2002-0059

URL Tags
ftp://ftp.caldera.com/pub/security/OpenLinux/CSSA-2002-015.1.txt Broken Link
http://distro.conectiva.com.br/atualizacoes/?id=a&anuncio=000469 Broken Link
http://frontal2.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDKSA-2002:022 Broken Link
http://www.caldera.com/support/security/advisories/CSSA-2002-014.1.txt Broken Link
http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2002-07.html Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
http://www.debian.org/security/2002/dsa-122 Broken Link
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/368819 Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/security/2002/MDKSA-2002-023.php Broken Link Patch Vendor Advisory
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/security/2002/MDKSA-2002-024.php3 Broken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2002-026.html Broken Link Patch Vendor Advisory
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2002-027.html Broken Link Patch Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/4267 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docId=HPSBTL0204-030 Broken Link
http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docId=HPSBTL0204-036 Broken Link
http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docId=HPSBTL0204-037 Broken Link
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/8427 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
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