CVE-2025-53020
Apache Http Server 2.4.17 – 2.4.64
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-53020 is a high-severity Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime (CWE-401) vulnerability in Apache Http Server. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked in the top 9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-53020 is a Late Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability, assigned CWE-401, that affects Apache HTTP Server versions 2.4.17 through 2.4.63. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 and results in high availability impact without affecting confidentiality or integrity.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can send crafted requests over the network to trigger the memory-handling error, leading to resource exhaustion or service disruption on the affected server. No user interaction or credentials are required for exploitation.
Advisories from the Apache project and downstream distributions such as Debian recommend upgrading immediately to version 2.4.64, which resolves the issue; the Apache security page and oss-security mailing list provide the official patch and release notes.
The associated EPSS score remains flat at 0.0461 with no material increase after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-21015
Vulnerability Data
Late Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in Apache HTTP Server. This issue affects Apache HTTP Server: from 2.4.17 up to 2.4.63. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.4.64, which fixes the issue.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (static analysis, fuzzing, or runtime leak detection) directly finds missing deallocation.
Requiring documented development standards and tools can mandate memory-management disciplines that avoid leaks at introduction.
Engineering principles applied during development can require explicit resource-release patterns that stop memory leaks from being coded.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly enforce proper memory allocation/deallocation via coding standards, reviews, and tooling.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect unreleased memory, providing partial coverage of the weakness.
Secure development life cycle mandates memory-management practices that reduce missing-release defects.
Application security requirements can specify explicit memory-release rules, partially mitigating the weakness.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles include resource-management guidelines that address memory leaks.
Secure coding standards directly require proper allocation/deallocation, covering most of this weakness.
Capacity management may detect memory exhaustion symptoms but does not prevent the coding flaw.