CVE-2008-0238
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 · uneditedMultiple heap-based buffer overflows in the rmff_dump_cont function in input/libreal/rmff.c in xine-lib 1.1.9 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the SDP (1) Title, (2) Author, or (3) Copyright attribute, related to the rmff_dump_header function, different vectors than CVE-2008-0225. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in xine-lib 1.1.9's rmff_dump_cont function when parsing SDP (Session Description Protocol) attributes. Specifically, the Title, Author, and Copyright fields are not properly bounds-checked before being copied into heap buffers, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted SDP streams.
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<= 1.1.9CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/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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Detect if xine-lib is installedCheck for xine-lib presence on the system using package manager (dpkg -l | grep xine-lib, rpm -qa | grep xine-lib) or by locating the shared library file (find /usr/lib -name 'libxine*')Affected if xine-lib is not found on the system - the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine installed xine-lib versionQuery the installed package version using the system's package manager, or use 'ldd' on any binary linked against xine-lib to identify the library versionAffected if The installed version is 1.1.9 or any version <= 1.1.9 - the vulnerability is present in these versions
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Check if SDP parsing functionality is enabledExamine xine-lib configuration or application settings that control SDP/RTSP stream handling; verify whether applications using xine-lib are configured to parse SDP streams from network sourcesAffected if SDP parsing is enabled and xine-lib processes SDP streams - the vulnerable code path (rmff_dump_cont) is reached
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Determine exposure to remote SDP streamsAudit network-exposed services or applications that use xine-lib to receive or process SDP streams from remote sources (RTSP servers, network streams, media files containing SDP data)Affected if The system processes SDP streams from untrusted remote sources - the attack vector is viable and the vulnerability is exploitable
The system is affected if xine-lib version 1.1.9 or lower is installed AND the library is configured to parse SDP streams from any source, as the unbounded copy in rmff_dump_cont for Title, Author, and Copyright fields becomes reachable.
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 dataUpgrade xine-lib to a version beyond 1.1.9 that includes bounds-checking fixes for SDP attribute parsing, or apply a patch that adds proper length validation in rmff_dump_cont before copying SDP field data into fixed-size buffers.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0238 — 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-2008-0238 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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