UNKNOWN CVSS 5.0
Published: 2004-10-18

CVE-2004-1617

university_of_kansas lynx Security Advisory (CVE-2004-1617)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2004-1617 impacting university_of_kansas lynx. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.0 (UNKNOWN).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Lynx, lynx-ssl, and lynx-cur before 2.8.6dev.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a web page or HTML email that contains invalid HTML including (1) a TEXTAREA tag with a large COLS value and (2) a large tag name in an element that is not terminated, as demonstrated by mangleme. NOTE: a followup suggests that the relevant trigger for this issue is the large COLS value.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product university_of_kansas / lynx
Affected Versions 2.7
Weakness Enumeration CWE-20

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2004-1617 impacting university_of_kansas lynx.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2004-1617.yaml
id: cve-2004-1617

info:
  name: university_of_kansas lynx - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: unknown
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2004-1617 affecting university_of_kansas lynx.
    Evaluation: Lynx, lynx-ssl, and lynx-cur before 2.8.6dev.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a web page or HTML email that c...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2004-1617
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
    cvss-score: 5.0
    cve-id: CVE-2004-1617
    cwe-id: CWE-20
  tags: cve,cve-2004-1617,university_of_kansas,lynx,unknown

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "lynx"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2004-1617.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2004-1617
# Target: university_of_kansas lynx | CVSS: 5.0 (UNKNOWN)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2004-1617 (university_of_kansas lynx)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against university_of_kansas lynx scope (2.7).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2004-1617.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2004-1617
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install lynx 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade lynx 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update lynx

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i lynx 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i lynx

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2004-1617 in university_of_kansas lynx?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update university_of_kansas lynx packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2004-1617?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2004-1617?

CVE-2004-1617 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.0 (UNKNOWN). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.0
UNKNOWN SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2004-1617
Weakness CWE-20
Vendor university_of_kansas
Product lynx
Published 2004-10-18
Vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P