CVE-2008-4250: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3v68-r58v-m4c2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94 CWE-119
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2008-4250 is a HIGH (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2008-4250 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2008-4250
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3v68-r58v-m4c2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2008-4250

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2008-4250, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The Server service in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, Server 2008, and 7 Pre-Beta allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted RPC request that triggers the overflow during path canonicalization, as exploited in the wild by Gimmiv.A in October 2008, aka "Server Service Vulnerability."

References

NVD — CVE-2008-4250 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4250
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2008/ms08-067
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/460... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/46040
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6093
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vul... WEB
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2008-4250
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6824 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6824
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6841 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6841
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7104 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7104
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7132 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7132
blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/... WEB
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/1150
marc.info/ WEB
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=122703006921213&w=2
secunia.com/advisories/32326 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/32326
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/827267 WEB
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/827267
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497808/100/0/threaded
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497816/100/0/threaded
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/31874
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021091
www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/ta08... WEB
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-297A.html
www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/ta09... WEB
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-088A.html
www.vupen.com/english/advisories/... WEB
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2902

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2008-4250?
CVE-2008-4250 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2008-4250?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2008-4250?
CVE-2008-4250 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2008-4250?
CVE-2008-4250 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2008-4250?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
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  "id" : "GHSA-3v68-r58v-m4c2",
  "modified" : "2026-05-20T18:31:27Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-02T00:08:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2008-4250" ],
  "details" : "The Server service in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, Server 2008, and 7 Pre-Beta allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted RPC request that triggers the overflow during path canonicalization, as exploited in the wild by Gimmiv.A in October 2008, aka \"Server Service Vulnerability.\"",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
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    "url" : "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2008/ms08-067"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/46040"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6093"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2008-4250"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6824"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/6841"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7104"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/7132"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/1150"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=122703006921213&w=2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/32326"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/827267"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497808/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497816/100/0/threaded"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/31874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021091"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-297A.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-088A.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2902"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-119", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2008-10-23T22:00:00Z"
  }
}