CVE-2008-2550
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in the Web Services Security component in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1 before 6.1.0.17 has unknown impact and attack vectors related to an attribute in the SOAP security header.
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 · low confidenceVulnerability in IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.1 Web Services Security component involving an unspecified attribute in the SOAP security header. The exact nature of the flaw, exploitation method, and potential impact are not disclosed in available documentation, with only the affected version range (pre-6.1.0.17) and affected component identified.
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<= 6.1.0.16= 6.1= 6.1.0= 6.1.0.0= 6.1.0.1= 6.1.0.2= 6.1.0.3= 6.1.0.4= 6.1.0.5= 6.1.0.6= 6.1.0.7= 6.1.0.8CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.1 is installedLocate the WebSphere installation directory (typically under /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer or C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer) and confirm the presence of version 6.1 installation files or use the WebSphere versionInfo command from the bin directoryAffected if WebSphere Application Server 6.1 is present on the system
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Determine the installed fix pack versionRun the versionInfo command from the WebSphere bin directory (versionInfo.sh on Linux/Unix or versionInfo.bat on Windows) and examine the installed fix pack level in the outputAffected if The reported version is 6.1.0.16 or earlier, or shows no fix pack applied (base 6.1.0.0)
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Confirm Web Services Security component is in useCheck WebSphere configuration files (typically in the config directory under the node profile) for web services security settings, or verify if applications using SOAP-based web services are deployedAffected if Web Services Security feature is configured or applications relying on SOAP security headers are running on the server
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Review SOAP security header configurationsInspect the WebSphere administration console or XML configuration files for any custom SOAP security header attributes in deployed applications or service integration bus (SIB) messagingAffected if SOAP security headers with custom or unspecified attributes are present in the web services configuration
You are affected if WebSphere Application Server 6.1 with version 6.1.0.16 or earlier is installed AND the Web Services Security component with SOAP security headers is enabled or in use.
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 dataApply IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.1 fix pack 6.1.0.17 or later, which addresses this vulnerability in the Web Services Security component.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation40.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $20,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2550 — 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-2008-2550 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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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