ZypperApplication · Opensuse

CVE-2008-3187

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-07-21
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
zypp-refresh-patches in zypper in SUSE openSUSE 10.2, 10.3, and 11.0 does not ask the user before accepting repository keys, which allows remote repositories to cause a denial of service (package data corruption) via a spoofed key.

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 confidence

The zypp-refresh-patches component in SUSE zypper package manager for openSUSE 10.2, 10.3, and 11.0 automatically accepts repository cryptographic keys without user confirmation. This allows remote malicious repositories to inject spoofed keys that cause package data corruption, resulting in a denial of service.

MitigationDisable automatic repository key acceptance in zypper configuration and manually verify all repository keys before adding or refreshing repositories. Consider upgrading to newer openSUSE versions that have fixed this behavior.

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
ZypperApplication
Affected:= 10.2= 10.3= 11.0

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
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed zypper version
    Run 'zypper --version' or 'rpm -q zypper' to identify the installed zypper package version
    Affected if The version is 10.2, 10.3, or 11.0 exactly as listed in affected versions
  2. Locate zypper configuration file
    Check for /etc/zypp/zypp.conf or ~/.zypp.conf configuration files that control repository behavior
    Affected if Configuration files exist and contain settings related to gpgkey or key acceptance
  3. Inspect automatic key acceptance setting
    Search configuration for 'gpgcheck', 'gpgkey', 'accept', 'trust' or similar options that control whether zypper automatically accepts repository keys without prompting
    Affected if A setting exists that enables automatic key acceptance (e.g., config option allowing auto-accept of unsigned repository keys or auto-import of keys)

You are affected if running zypper version 10.2, 10.3, or 11.0 AND automatic repository key acceptance is enabled in your zypper configuration, as this allows untrusted repositories to inject spoofed keys.

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

Disable automatic repository key acceptance in zypper configuration and manually verify all repository keys before adding or refreshing repositories. Consider upgrading to newer openSUSE versions that have fixed this behavior.

Fix this in Zypper Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,050
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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-2008-3187 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