How severe is CVE-2015-4042?

CVE-2015-4042 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2015-4042 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-4042?

CVE-2015-4042 affects Gnu Coreutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-4042?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-4042 published?

CVE-2015-4042 was published on 2020-01-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-4042

CVE-2015-4042 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Gnu Coreutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-190.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-190
Affected product: Gnu Coreutils
Published: 2020-01-24
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Integer overflow in the keycompare_mb function in sort.c in sort in GNU Coreutils through 8.23 might allow attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via long strings.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-4042?: Integer overflow in the keycompare_mb function in sort.c in sort in GNU Coreutils through 8.23 might allow attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via long strings.
How severe is CVE-2015-4042?: CVE-2015-4042 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2015-4042 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-4042?: CVE-2015-4042 affects Gnu Coreutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-4042?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-4042 published?: CVE-2015-4042 was published on 2020-01-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:coreutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnu Coreutils

CVE-2015-4041 — High (CVSS 7.8): The keycompare_mb function in sort.c in sort in GNU Coreutils through 8.23 on 64-bit platforms performs a size…
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Other CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2025-64721 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandboxie is a sandbox-based isolation software for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows NT-based operating systems. In versions…
CVE-2015-5108 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.15 and 11.x before 11.0.12, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC…
CVE-2015-5097 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.15 and 11.x before 11.0.12, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader DC…
CVE-2013-2555 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in Adobe Flash Player before 10.3.183.75 and 11.x before 11.7.700.169 on Windows and Mac OS X, before…

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