---
title: "CVE-2005-4872\n    | Ubuntu"
description: Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the
  desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.
url: https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2005-4872?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# CVE-2005-4872

Publication date 31 December 2005

Last updated 4 August 2025

---

Ubuntu priority

**Low**

[Why this priority?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#priority )

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## Description

Perl-Compatible Regular Expression (PCRE) library before 6.2 does not
properly count the number of named capturing subpatterns, which allows
context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a
regular expression with a large number of named subpatterns, which triggers
a buffer overflow. NOTE: this issue was originally subsumed by
CVE-2006-7224, but that CVE has been REJECTED and split.

## Status

Show unmaintained releases

| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| pcre3 | 7.10 gutsy | Not affected |
| 7.04 feisty | Not affected |
| 6.10 edgy | Not affected |
| 6.06 LTS dapper | Not affected |

---

* [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)
* [What do statuses mean?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#statuses)

## References

* [MITRE](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2005-4872)
* [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-4872)
* [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/bugs/cve/CVE-2005-4872)
* [Debian](https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2005-4872)

### Other references

* <https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-4872>