LinuxOperating system · Redhat
CVE-2007-5079
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedRed Hat Enterprise Linux 4 does not properly compile and link gdm with tcp_wrappers on x86_64 platforms, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, the GDM (GNOME Display Manager) binary was not properly compiled and linked with tcp_wrappers support on x86_64 architectures. This means the hosts.allow and hosts.deny access control rules do not apply to GDM connections, potentially allowing remote attackers to bypass intended network access restrictions for the display manager.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
LinuxOperating system
= 4.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm RHEL versionRun `cat /etc/redhat-release` to verify the system is running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0Affected if The version shows anything other than Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES release 4 (Nahant Update 0) or similar RHEL 4.0 variant
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Check system architectureRun `uname -m` or `arch` to determine if the system is x86_64 (64-bit)Affected if The output is x86_64 - the vulnerability only applies to this architecture in RHEL 4.0
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Locate GDM binaryRun `which gdm` or `rpm -ql gdm | grep -E 'bin/gdm$'` to find the GDM binary pathAffected if No GDM binary is found (GDM may not be installed)
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Verify tcp_wrappers linkageRun `ldd /usr/bin/gdm 2>/dev/null | grep -i wrap` to check if the GDM binary links to libwrap (tcp_wrappers)Affected if The command returns no output, meaning libwrap is NOT linked - tcp_wrappers access controls will not apply
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Check for tcp_wrappers rulesInspect `/etc/hosts.allow` and `/etc/hosts.deny` for entries referencing gdm (e.g., 'gdm: 127.0.0.1')Affected if Either file contains GDM-specific rules that rely on tcp_wrappers for protection, but those rules are ineffective due to the missing linkage
You are affected if you run RHEL 4.0 on x86_64 with GDM installed and the GDM binary does not show libwrap in its ldd output, especially if you rely on hosts.allow/hosts.deny to control GDM access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataEnsure GDM is compiled with tcp_wrappers support, or implement network-level access controls (e.g., firewall rules, network segmentation) to restrict access to GDM ports; consider upgrading from RHEL 4 as it is end-of-life.
Fix this in Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-5079 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-5079 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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