CVE-2008-3009
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Windows Media Player 6.4, Windows Media Format Runtime 7.1 through 11, and Windows Media Services 4.1, 9, and 2008 do not properly use the Service Principal Name (SPN) identifier when validating replies to authentication requests, which allows remote servers to execute arbitrary code via vectors that employ NTLM credential reflection, aka "SPN Vulnerability."
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 confidenceThis is an NTLM credential reflection vulnerability in Windows Media Player 6.4, Windows Media Format Runtime (versions 7.1-11), and Windows Media Services (4.1, 9, 2008). The flaw allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by reflecting NTLM credentials back to the authenticating server due to improper validation of the Service Principal Name (SPN) identifier during authentication replies.
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= 6.4= 7.1= 11= 9.5= 9= 4.1= 9= 2008CVSS 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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Identify Windows Media Player versionOpen Windows Media Player, go to Help > About Windows Media Player to see the version number. Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs or the version displayed in the program's title bar.Affected if Version equals 6.4 exactly
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Check Windows Media Format Runtime versionLocate the wmplayer.exe file in the Windows Media Player program directory and check its file properties for version information, or query the installed programs list for 'Windows Media Format Runtime' and note the version.Affected if Version equals 7.1, 9, 9.5, or 11 (or falls within this range)
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Verify Windows Media Services installationCheck if Windows Media Services is installed by looking in Add/Remove Programs (Windows Components) or checking for the 'Windows Media Services' entry in Services or Server Manager, depending on OS version.Affected if Windows Media Services version 4.1, 9, or 2008 is installed
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Confirm NTLM authentication is in useReview authentication configuration on the system or network to determine whether NTLM (NT LAN Manager) authentication is enabled for SMB, HTTP, or other relevant network protocols.Affected if NTLM authentication is actively used for network connections involving Windows Media components
A system is affected if it has Windows Media Player 6.4, Windows Media Format Runtime (versions 7.1-11), or Windows Media Services (4.1, 9, or 2008) installed, and NTLM authentication is 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 Microsoft security patch MS08-054 (associated with this CVE), or upgrade to newer versions of Windows Media components that no longer contain this vulnerability. Consider disabling NTLM authentication or enforcing SMB signing at the domain level as additional hardening.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-3009 — 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-2008-3009 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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