How severe is CVE-2006-5646?

CVE-2006-5646 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2006-5646 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 17% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2006-5646?

CVE-2006-5646 primarily affects Sophos Anti-virus. In total, 16 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2006-5646?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2006-5646 published?

CVE-2006-5646 was published on 2006-11-01 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2006-5646

CVE-2006-5646 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Sophos Anti-virus with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 17% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 5.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 17% (97th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Sophos Anti-virus
Published: 2006-11-01
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in Sophos Anti-Virus and Endpoint Security before 6.0.5, Anti-Virus for Linux before 5.0.10, and other platforms before 4.11, when archive scanning is enabled, allows remote attackers to trigger a denial of service (memory corruption) via a CHM file with an LZX decompression header that specifies a Window_size of 0.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2006-5646?: Heap-based buffer overflow in Sophos Anti-Virus and Endpoint Security before 6.0.5, Anti-Virus for Linux before 5.0.10, and other platforms before 4.11, when archive scanning is enabled, allows remote attackers to trigger a denial of service (memory corruption) via a CHM file with an LZX decompression header that specifies a Window_size of 0.
How severe is CVE-2006-5646?: CVE-2006-5646 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2006-5646 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 17% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2006-5646?: CVE-2006-5646 primarily affects Sophos Anti-virus. In total, 16 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2006-5646?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2006-5646 published?: CVE-2006-5646 was published on 2006-11-01 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (16)

cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.05:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.5.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.5.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.5.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.5.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.7.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:4.7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:5.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:anti-virus:6.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sophos:endpoint_security:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Sophos Anti-virus

CVE-2008-6904 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Sophos SAVScan 4.33.0 for Linux, and possibly other products and versions,…
CVE-2008-5541 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Sophos Anti-Virus 4.33.0, when Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is used, allows remote attackers to bypass detection of malware…
CVE-2007-4577 — High (CVSS 7.8): Sophos Anti-Virus for Unix/Linux before 2.48.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via…
CVE-2010-2308 — High (CVSS 7.2): Unspecified vulnerability in the filter driver (savonaccessfilter.sys) in Sophos Anti-Virus before 7.6.20 allows local…
CVE-2008-1737 — Medium (CVSS 6.9): Sophos Anti-Virus 7.0.5, and other 7.x versions, when Runtime Behavioural Analysis is enabled, allows local users to…
CVE-2007-4578 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Sophos Anti-Virus for Windows and for Unix/Linux before 2.48.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service…

All CVEs affecting Sophos Anti-virus →

Other CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-2778 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the DOM: Core & HTML component. This vulnerability was fixed in…
CVE-2026-2776 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the Telemetry component in External Software. This vulnerability…
CVE-2025-1866 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerability in warmcat libwebsockets allows…
CVE-2022-27625 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2022-27624 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.

Browse all CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities →