CVE-2010-0542

CVE-2010-0542 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apple Cups with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 6.8)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-264
• Affected product: Apple Cups
• Published: 2010-06-21
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The _WriteProlog function in texttops.c in texttops in the Text Filter subsystem in CUPS before 1.4.4 does not check the return values of certain calloc calls, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference or heap memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2010-0542?

The _WriteProlog function in texttops.c in texttops in the Text Filter subsystem in CUPS before 1.4.4 does not check the return values of certain calloc calls, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference or heap memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted file.

How severe is CVE-2010-0542?

CVE-2010-0542 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.8, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2010-0542 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2010-0542?

CVE-2010-0542 primarily affects Apple Cups. In total, 84 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2010-0542?

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

When was CVE-2010-0542 published?

CVE-2010-0542 was published on 2010-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://cups.org/articles.php?L596
• http://cups.org/str.php?L3516
• http://cups.org/strfiles/3516/str3516.patch
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-12/msg00000.html
• http://secunia.com/advisories/43521
• http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201207-10.xml
• http://securitytracker.com/id?1024121
• http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2176
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2010:232
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2010:234
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/40943
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0535
• https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=587746
• https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10365

Affected products (84)

• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.5-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.5-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.6-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.6-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.6-3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.9-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.10-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.15:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.16:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.18:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.19:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:apple:cups:1.1.20:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*

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