CVE-2008-2019
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 · uneditedSimple Machines Forum (SMF), probably 1.1.4, relies on "randomly generated static" to hinder brute-force attacks on the WAV file (aka audio) CAPTCHA, which allows remote attackers to pass the CAPTCHA test via an automated attack that considers Hamming distances. NOTE: this issue reportedly exists because of an insufficient fix for CVE-2007-3308.
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 confidenceSimple Machines Forum (SMF) versions around 1.1.4 use a WAV file audio CAPTCHA that relies on 'randomly generated static' as a security mechanism, but this provides insufficient entropy. Attackers can bypass the CAPTCHA by using automated Hamming distance analysis to decode the audio challenge, allowing automated account creation or other CAPTCHA-protected 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= 1.1.4CVSS 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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Identify the installed SMF versionCheck the version file (typically Version.php in the main SMF directory) or log into the admin panel and navigate to Package Manager or Forum Settings to view the version informationAffected if The installed version is 1.1.4 or an earlier version that uses the same WAV audio CAPTCHA implementation
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Confirm the CAPTCHA is enabledAccess the forum admin panel, go to Security and Moderation settings or CAPTCHA configuration, and verify whether CAPTCHA verification is turned on for registration or postingAffected if CAPTCHA is enabled and set to use the built-in audio CAPTCHA
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Verify the CAPTCHA type in useInspect the CAPTCHA settings in the SMF admin panel under Security and Moderation or Anti-Spam settings. Look for the CAPTCHA provider or type configurationAffected if The forum is using SMF's built-in WAV audio CAPTCHA (rather than an alternative like reCAPTCHA)
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Test the audio CAPTCHA entropy (if accessible)Request a registration page or other CAPTCHA-protected action, listen to the generated audio challenge, and assess whether the audio contains sufficient randomness. The vulnerable version uses insufficient random staticAffected if The audio CAPTCHA produces predictable or low-entropy audio samples that could be decoded via Hamming distance analysis
A user is affected if their SMF installation is version 1.1.4 (or similar early version) AND the built-in WAV audio CAPTCHA is enabled and in use for CAPTCHA-protected actions.
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 SMF to a patched version that implements a stronger CAPTCHA system with adequate entropy, or replace the built-in CAPTCHA with a robust third-party solution such as reCAPTCHA.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2019 — 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-2008-2019 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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