dbcve.org
AptlinexApplication · Debian

CVE-2008-1902

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-04-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The GUI for aptlinex before 0.91 does not sufficiently warn the user of potentially dangerous actions, which allows remote attackers to remove or modify packages via an apt:// URL.

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 · moderate confidence

The aptlinex GUI (versions before 0.91) fails to display adequate warning dialogs when users initiate potentially dangerous package operations triggered via apt:// URLs. This allows remote attackers to trick users into removing or modifying system packages without sufficient security prompts.

MitigationUpgrade to aptlinex version 0.91 or later, which implements proper warning dialogs for dangerous package manipulation actions.

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
AptlinexApplication
Affected:= 0.6-1= 0.7-1= 0.8-1= 0.8-2= 0.9-1

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

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 if aptlinex is installed
    Run 'dpkg -l aptlinex' or 'apt-cache policy aptlinex' to see if the package is installed on the system
    Affected if If the package is not installed, this CVE does not apply. If installed, proceed to version check.
  2. Determine installed aptlinex version
    Examine the version number from the dpkg or apt-cache output (e.g., look for entries like 0.6-1, 0.7-1, 0.8-1, 0.8-2, 0.9-1)
    Affected if Version is displayed in the output following the package name
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Check if the installed version matches any of: 0.6-1, 0.7-1, 0.8-1, 0.8-2, or 0.9-1. Versions prior to 0.91 are affected if they match these specific versions.
    Affected if The system is affected if aptlinex is installed AND the version is exactly 0.6-1, 0.7-1, 0.8-1, 0.8-2, or 0.9-1

A system is affected by this CVE if aptlinex is installed and the installed version matches one of the affected versions (0.6-1, 0.7-1, 0.8-1, 0.8-2, or 0.9-1), as these versions fail to show adequate warning dialogs for dangerous apt:// URL operations.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to aptlinex version 0.91 or later, which implements proper warning dialogs for dangerous package manipulation actions.

Fix this in Aptlinex Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,290
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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-2008-1902 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