Stack-based buffer overflow in the hfs subsystem in the Linux kernel 2.6.32 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified impact via a crafted Hierarchical File System (HFS) filesystem, related to the hfs_readdir function in fs/hfs/dir.c.
CVE-2009-4020
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 7.8 — v2 rates that HIGH (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:L/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 5.0% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
A fix is available — apply it.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 7.8HIGHNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 7.8(low)
- EG Risk
- 42(Track)EG Risk 42/100SSVC: 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 computedSeverity78% × 45%Exploitation5% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 5%
- EPSS %ILE
- 92%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 4, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (30)
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-01/msg00005.html
- secalert@redhathttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-03/msg00007.html
- secalert@redhathttp://marc.info/?l=linux-mm-commits&m=125987755823047&w=2
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/38276
- secalert@redhathttp://secunia.com/advisories/39742
- secalert@redhathttp://support.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100073666
- secalert@redhathttp://userweb.kernel.org/~akpm/mmotm/broken-out/hfs-fix-a-potential-buffer-overflow.patch
- secalert@redhathttp://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-2005
- secalert@redhathttp://www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2010_23_kernel.html
- secalert@redhathttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/12/04/1
- secalert@redhathttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=540736
- secalert@redhathttps://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10091
- secalert@redhathttps://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6750
- secalert@redhathttps://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2010-0046.html
- secalert@redhathttps://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2010-0095.html
Vendor Advisories for CVE-2009-4020(2)
These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.
Patch Availability(3)
| Vendor / Ecosystem | Fixed in / Patch | Released | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ubuntu | linux-image-2.6.31-19-ia64 (2.6.31-19.56) @ karmic | 2026-05-30 | ubuntu |
| redhat | kernel-0:2.6.9-89.0.20.EL | 2010-02-02 | redhat |
| redhat | kernel-0:2.6.18-164.11.1.el5 | 2010-01-19 | 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
(2 across 1 ecosystem)
Debian:4.0(2)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| linux-2.6 | 2.6.18.dfsg.1-12 ... 2.6.18.dfsg.1-26etch1 (38 versions) | 2.6.18.dfsg.1-26etch2 | — |
| linux-2.6.24 | 2.6.24-5~etchnhalf.1 ... 2.6.24-6~etchnhalf.9etch2 (15 versions) | 2.6.24-6~etchnhalf.9etch3 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Additional Vendor Advisories
(1)
Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 2× in last 7d / 9× 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 108 total refreshes for this CVE.
- 2026-08-25 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-26 13:39 UTCEG score recompute▲ 7.80
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- 2026-07-23 01:00 UTCEG score recompute
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- 2026-05-30 14:25 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-30 14:25 UTCVendor advisory
- 2026-05-30 14:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
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Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-4020?
When was CVE-2009-4020 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-4020 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-4020?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2009-4020
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2009-4020?
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