Description
lighttpd before 1.4.26, and 1.5.x, allocates a buffer for each read operation that occurs for a request, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by breaking a request into small pieces that are sent at a slow rate.
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 | lighttpd | 1.4.26-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | lighttpd | 1.4.26-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | lighttpd | 1.4.26-1 | — |
| Debian 5.0 | lighttpd | 1.4.19-5+lenny1 | DSA-1987-1 |
| Debian 4.0 | lighttpd | 1.4.13-4etch12 | DSA-1987-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | lighttpd | 1.4.37-1.6 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10402-1 |
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.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- lighttpd 1.4/1.5 - Slow Request Handling Remote Denial of Service EDB-33591 · dos · Feb 2, 2010 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- DSA-1987-1 lighttpd - denial of service Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10402-1 lighttpd-1.4.37-1.6 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- 38403 third-party-advisory
- http://redmine.lighttpd.net/projects/lighttpd/repository/revisions/2711
- ADV-2011-0172 vdb-entry
- 39765 third-party-advisory
- http://redmine.lighttpd.net/issues/2147
- http://download.lighttpd.net/lighttpd/security/lighttpd_sa_2010_01.txt
- FEDORA-2010-7643 vendor-advisory
- lighttpd-slow-request-dos(56038) vdb-entry
- http://blogs.sun.com/security/entry/cve_2010_0295_vulnerability_in
- FEDORA-2010-7636 vendor-advisory
- DSA-1987 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2010:003 vendor-advisory
- http://download.lighttpd.net/lighttpd/security/lighttpd-1.4.x_fix_slow_request_dos.patch
- http://redmine.lighttpd.net/projects/lighttpd/repository/revisions/2710
- 38036 vdb-entry
- http://download.lighttpd.net/lighttpd/security/lighttpd-1.5_fix_slow_request_dos.patch
- [oss-security] 20100202 lighttpd: slow request dos/oom attack [CVE-2010-0295] mailing-list
- FEDORA-2010-7611 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201006-17 vendor-advisory