CVE-2008-1661
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in DoubleTake.exe in HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring (SWSM) before 4.5 SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted encoded authentication request.
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 confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow exists in DoubleTake.exe, a component of HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring (SWSM), allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted encoded authentication requests. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 4.5 SP2 and is exploitable without authentication.
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= 4.5CVSS 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
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check for HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring installationLook for HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring in the Windows Add or Remove Programs list, or check for the presence of the DoubleTake.exe process or SWSM service using Task Manager, 'sc query swsm' command, or by searching for DoubleTake.exe in the systemAffected if HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring is installed and DoubleTake.exe is present on the system
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Locate and identify DoubleTake.exe versionFind DoubleTake.exe in the installation directory (typically under the HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring program folder), right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to read the File Version and Product VersionAffected if The installed version is 4.5 without any service pack applied
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Verify if Service Pack 2 is appliedCheck the version information for 'SP2' or '4.5.2' notation in the file version string, or check the product's About/Version information within the SWSM management console if accessibleAffected if The version shows 4.5 without SP2 or shows no service pack designation, indicating it is prior to version 4.5 SP2
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Determine network exposure of the serviceUse 'netstat -an' or a port scanner to check if DoubleTake.exe is listening on TCP ports associated with SWSM (consult product documentation for default ports), and verify whether these ports are accessible from network segments outside the trusted environmentAffected if The DoubleTake service is listening on exposed network ports and reachable from untrusted network segments
The system is affected if HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring version 4.5 base (without SP2) is installed, and the DoubleTake.exe component is running and network-accessible, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to exploit the buffer overflow.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring to version 4.5 SP2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the affected service.
HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring 4.5 SP2
- 1. Identify all systems running HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring (SWSM) version 4.5
- 2. Verify the current installed version by checking the DoubleTake.exe file properties or the application's about/Version information
- 3. If the version is before 4.5 SP2, plan for upgrade during a maintenance window
- 4. Download HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring 4.5 SP2 or later from HP's official support website
- 5. Ensure backup of current configuration data before performing upgrade
- 6. Apply the upgrade to all affected SWSM installations
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version shows 4.5 SP2 or later
- 8. Test that Storage Mirroring functionality operates normally after upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-1661 — 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-2008-1661 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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