GnupgApplication

CVE-2008-1530

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-03-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
GnuPG (gpg) 1.4.8 and 2.0.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted duplicate keys that are imported from key servers, which triggers "memory corruption around deduplication of user IDs."

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 confidence

GnuPG 1.4.8 and 2.0.8 contain a memory corruption vulnerability during the import of crafted duplicate keys from key servers. The deduplication process for user IDs triggers memory corruption that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade GnuPG to a patched version beyond 1.4.8 and 2.0.8, and avoid importing keys from untrusted or unknown key servers until the upgrade is complete.

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
GnupgApplication
Affected:= 1.4.8= 2.0.8

CVSS 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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed GnuPG version
    Run 'gpg --version' and examine the version number in the output
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 1.4.8 or 2.0.8
  2. Confirm keyserver configuration exists
    Inspect the GnuPG configuration file (typically ~/.gnupg/gpg.conf or /etc/gnupg/gpg.conf) for any 'keyserver' directive lines
    Affected if A keyserver directive is present in the configuration
  3. Identify recent key import operations from key servers
    Review command history or logs for usage of 'gpg --recv-keys', 'gpg --search-keys', or 'gpg --keyserver' commands
    Affected if Keys have been imported from a key server using the installed GnuPG version

You are affected if your installed GnuPG version is exactly 1.4.8 or 2.0.8 AND you have imported keys from a key server, as the vulnerability is triggered during the deduplication of crafted duplicate user IDs during key import.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade GnuPG to a patched version beyond 1.4.8 and 2.0.8, and avoid importing keys from untrusted or unknown key servers until the upgrade is complete.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

GnuPG 1.4.9+ or 2.0.9+ (later stable releases preferred)

  1. 1. Identify which GnuPG version is currently installed by running 'gpg --version'
  2. 2. For GnuPG 1.4.x users: Upgrade to GnuPG 1.4.9 or later from https://www.gnupg.org/download/
  3. 3. For GnuPG 2.0.x users: Upgrade to GnuPG 2.0.9 or later from https://www.gnupg.org/download/
  4. 4. Verify the new version is installed: 'gpg --version'
  5. 5. Test that key import from servers still works correctly after upgrade
Caveat Minor - verify any custom gpg.conf settings are compatible with the new version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Gnupg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-1530 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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