The console selection feature in the Linux kernel 2.6.28 before 2.6.28.4, 2.6.25, and possibly earlier versions, when the UTF-8 console is used, allows physically proximate attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) by selecting a small number of 3-byte UTF-8 characters, which triggers an "off-by-two memory error." NOTE: it is not clear whether this issue crosses privilege boundaries.
CVE-2009-1046
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 4.7 — v2 rates that MEDIUM (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 0.8% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- Lower severity and no public exploit yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 4.7MEDIUMNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 4.7(low)
- EG Risk
- 52(Track)EG Risk 52/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity47% × 45%Exploitation65% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 1%
- EPSS %ILE
- 53%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
March 23, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (28)
- cve@mitrehttp://lists.openwall.net/linux-kernel/2009/01/30/333
- cve@mitrehttp://lists.openwall.net/linux-kernel/2009/02/02/364
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/34917
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/34981
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/35121
- cve@mitrehttp://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1787
- cve@mitrehttp://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1800
- cve@mitrehttp://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.28.4
- cve@mitrehttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/02/12/10
- cve@mitrehttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/02/12/11
- cve@mitrehttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/02/12/9
- cve@mitrehttp://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-0451.html
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/33672
- cve@mitrehttp://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-751-1
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://lists.openwall.net/linux-kernel/2009/01/30/333
Patch Availability(2)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | linux-image-2.6.27-11-virtual (2.6.27-11.31) @ intrepid | 2026-05-30 | ubuntu |
| redhat | kernel-rt-0:2.6.24.7-111.el5rt | 2009-04-29 | redhat |
Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.
Affected Packages
(3 across 2 ecosystems)
Debian:5.0(2)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux-2.6 | 2.6.26-13 ... 2.6.26-15~bpo40+2 (8 versions) | 2.6.26-15lenny2 | — |
| user-mode-linux | 2.6.26-1um-2, 2.6.26-1um-2+15 | 2.6.26-1um-2+15lenny2 | — |
Debian:4.0(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux-2.6.24 | 2.6.24-5~etchnhalf.1 ... 2.6.24-6~etchnhalf.8 (9 versions) | 2.6.24-6~etchnhalf.8etch1 | — |
All Vendor Advisories
(2)
Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 2× in last 7d / 10× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 100 of 112 total refreshes for this CVE.
- 2026-08-27 14:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-25 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-19 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-08-15 01:24 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-30 16:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-26 13:38 UTCEG score recompute▲ 4.70
- 2026-07-25 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-24 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 00:58 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:36 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:03 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 21:42 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-21 15:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-18 09:59 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-16 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-22 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-21 14:53 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-19 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-30 17:37 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-30 17:37 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-05-30 17:37 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-9083✓ verifiedFirst seen Jul 9, 2009
Linux Kernel 2.6.24_16-23/2.6.27_7-10/2.6.28.3 (Ubuntu 8.04/8.10 / Fedora Core 10 x86-64) - 'set_selection()' UTF-8 Off-by-One Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-1046?
When was CVE-2009-1046 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-1046 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-1046?
Dependency Blast Radius
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