Description
The ippReadIO function in cups/ipp.c in cupsd in CUPS before 1.3.10 does not properly initialize memory for IPP request packets, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and daemon crash) via a scheduler request with two consecutive IPP_TAG_UNSUPPORTED tags.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | cups | 1.3.10-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | cups | 1.3.10-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | cups | 1.3.10-1 | — |
| Debian 5.0 | cups | 1.3.8-1+lenny6 | DSA-1811-1 |
| Debian 4.0 | cupsys | 1.2.7-4+etch8 | DSA-1811-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | cups +3 | 1:1.3.7-8.el5_3.6 | RHSA-2009:1082 |
| RHEL 4 | cups +2 | 1:1.1.22-0.rc1.9.32.el4_8.3 | RHSA-2009:1083 |
| RHEL 3 | cups +2 | 1:1.1.17-13.3.62 | RHSA-2009:1083 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- CUPS 1.3.9 - 'cups/ipp.c' Null Pointer Dereference Denial of Service EDB-33020 · dos · Jun 2, 2009 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2009:1082 Red Hat Security Advisory: cups security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2009:1083 Red Hat Security Advisory: cups security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1811-1 cups cupsys - denial of service Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 35169 vdb-entry
- DSA-1811 vendor-advisory
- 35340 third-party-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9631 vdb-entry signature
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=500972
- 35342 third-party-advisory
- apple-cups-ipptag-dos(50926) vdb-entry
- APPLE-SA-2009-09-10-2 vendor-advisory
- USN-780-1 vendor-advisory
- http://www.coresecurity.com/content/AppleCUPS-null-pointer-vulnerability
- 35328 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2009:1082 vendor-advisory
- 35685 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2009:012 vendor-advisory
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3865
- 36701 third-party-advisory
- 20090602 CORE-2009-0420 - Apple CUPS IPP_TAG_UNSUPPORTED Handling null pointer Vulnerability mailing-list
- RHSA-2009:1083 vendor-advisory
- 1022321 vdb-entry
- 35322 third-party-advisory