CVE-2008-2719
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 · uneditedOff-by-one error in the ppscan function (preproc.c) in Netwide Assembler (NASM) 2.02 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted file that triggers a stack-based buffer overflow.
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 confidenceOff-by-one error in the ppscan function in NASM's preproc.c causes a stack-based buffer overflow when processing a crafted assembly file, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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= 2.02CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/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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Check if NASM is installedRun 'nasm -v' or 'nasm --version' to get the installed version of NASMAffected if If NASM is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
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Verify the NASM versionCompare the output from 'nasm -v' to the affected version 2.02. The CVE specifically affects NASM version 2.02.Affected if If the installed version is exactly 2.02, the system falls within the affected range for this CVE
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Identify how NASM is being usedCheck for any scripts, build processes, or applications that invoke NASM to process assembly files, particularly from untrusted or external sourcesAffected if If NASM 2.02 is used to process assembly files from untrusted sources, the off-by-one buffer overflow in the ppscan function can be triggered
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Check for custom or third-party preprocessor configurationsInspect any custom preprocessor rules or includes used with NASM, as the vulnerability is in the ppscan function of preproc.cAffected if If custom preprocessor configurations are in use with NASM 2.02, the ppscan function may be exploitable through malformed input
A system is affected if NASM version 2.02 is installed and used to process assembly files, particularly from untrusted sources, as the off-by-one buffer overflow in the ppscan function can be triggered by a crafted assembly file.
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 to a patched version of NASM that fixes the off-by-one error in the ppscan function; validate and sanitize any assembly files from untrusted sources before processing.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2719 — 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-2008-2719 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
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