CVE-2008-0308
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 · uneditedSymantec Decomposer, as used in certain Symantec antivirus products including Symantec Scan Engine 5.1.2 and other versions before 5.1.6.31, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a malformed RAR file to the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) port (1344/tcp).
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 confidenceThe Symantec Decomposer component in Symantec Scan Engine versions prior to 5.1.6.31 contains a memory consumption vulnerability when processing malformed RAR files received via the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) on port 1344/tcp. Remote attackers can send specially crafted RAR files to trigger excessive memory allocation, resulting in denial of service.
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<= 5.1.4.24<= 4.3.16.39<= 3.0.12<= 4.3.16.39<= 4.3.16.39<= 4.3.16.39<= 4.3.16.39<= 4.3.16.39CVSS 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
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
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.
-
Identify installed Symantec product and versionLocate the installed Symantec Scan Engine or Symantec Antivirus product and note its exact version number. This is typically visible in the product's About or Help section, or can be retrieved via the product's command-line interface if available.Affected if The version is 5.1.4.24 or earlier for Scan Engine, or 4.3.16.39 or earlier for the listed Symantec Antivirus products, or 3.0.12 or earlier for Symantec Antivirus Filtering Domino Mpe.
-
Verify ICAP service is enabledCheck if the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol service is running and listening on TCP port 1344. This can be done using netstat, ss, or similar network diagnostic tools to query for listening services on port 1344.Affected if The ICAP service is listening on port 1344/tcp, as this is the exposure vector for the vulnerability.
-
Confirm Decomposer component is activeVerify that the Decomposer component is loaded or enabled within the Symantec product. This is typically listed in the product's component status, scan engine configuration, or decomposer settings.Affected if The Decomposer component is enabled and processes RAR file attachments through the ICAP service.
A user is affected if they are running an affected version of a listed Symantec product (Scan Engine <=5.1.4.24 or Antivirus products <=4.3.16.39/3.0.12) with the ICAP service enabled on port 1344 and the Decomposer component active to process RAR files.
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 Symantec Scan Engine to version 5.1.6.31 or later to obtain the patched Decomposer component, and restrict access to the ICAP port (1344/tcp) from untrusted networks as a compensating control.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0308 — 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-2008-0308 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data