CRITICAL CVSS 9.8
Published: 2004-12-31

CVE-2004-2154

apple cups Security Advisory (CVE-2004-2154)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2004-2154 impacting apple cups. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
CUPS before 1.1.21rc1 treats a Location directive in cupsd.conf as case sensitive, which allows attackers to bypass intended ACLs via a printer name containing uppercase or lowercase letters that are different from what is specified in the directive.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product apple / cups
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-178

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-2004-2154 impacting apple cups.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2004-2154.yaml
id: cve-2004-2154

info:
  name: apple cups - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: critical
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2004-2154 affecting apple cups.
    Evaluation: CUPS before 1.1.21rc1 treats a Location directive in cupsd.conf as case sensitive, which allows attackers to bypass intended ACLs via a printer name c...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2004-2154
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 9.8
    cve-id: CVE-2004-2154
    cwe-id: CWE-178
  tags: cve,cve-2004-2154,apple,cups,critical

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "cups"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2004-2154.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2004-2154
# Target: apple cups | CVSS: 9.8 (CRITICAL)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2004-2154 (apple cups)...")
    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 apple cups scope (*).")
        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-2004-2154.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2004-2154
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install cups 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade cups 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update cups

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

# 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-2004-2154 in apple cups?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update apple cups 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-2004-2154?

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-2004-2154?

CVE-2004-2154 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
9.8
CRITICAL SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2004-2154
Weakness CWE-178
Vendor apple
Product cups
Published 2004-12-31
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H