---
id: CVE-2020-19909
title: >-
  Integer overflow vulnerability in tool_operate.c in curl 7.65.2 via a large
  value as the retry delay
summary: >-
  Integer overflow vulnerability in tool_operate.c in curl 7.65.2 via a large
  value as the retry delay. NOTE: many parties report that this has no direct
  security impact on the curl user; however, it may (in theory) cause a denial
  of servi…
severity: low
cvss: 3.3
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L'
cwe:
  - CWE-190
vendor: haxx
product: curl
affected:
  - curl = 7.65.2
published: '2023-08-22'
updated: '2026-10-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-14T10:17:31.813'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-19909'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2023/08/26/cve-2020-19909-is-everything-that-is-wrong-with-cves/
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'https://github.com/curl/curl/pull/4166'
    label: cve@mitre.org
  - url: 'http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/07/23/2'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/07/25/5'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2023/08/26/cve-2020-19909-is-everything-that-is-wrong-with-cves/
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://github.com/curl/curl/pull/4166'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html'
    label: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00367
epssPercentile: 0.30377
ingestedAt: '2026-07-23T22:19:31.212Z'
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2024-07-08T18:11:17.723863Z'
---

## Overview

Integer overflow vulnerability in tool_operate.c in curl 7.65.2 via a large value as the retry delay. NOTE: many parties report that this has no direct security impact on the curl user; however, it may (in theory) cause a denial of service to associated systems or networks if, for example, --retry-delay is misinterpreted as a value much smaller than what was intended. This is not especially plausible because the overflow only happens if the user was trying to specify that curl should wait weeks (or longer) before trying to recover from a transient error.

## Affected

- `curl = 7.65.2`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.