dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2008-3465

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2008-12-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in an API in GDI in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, and Server 2008 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via a WMF file with a malformed file-size parameter, which would not be properly handled by a third-party application that uses this API for a copy operation, aka "GDI Heap Overflow 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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in the GDI (Graphics Device Interface) API in Windows allows remote code execution through specially crafted WMF (Windows Metafile) files with malformed file-size parameters. The vulnerability is triggered when third-party applications use the GDI API for copy operations without properly validating the file-size parameter, causing a heap overflow that can lead to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability; third-party applications using the GDI API must implement proper validation of WMF file-size parameters before copy operations; consider restricting WMF file processing in untrusted applications until patches are applied.

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
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions= gold
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' from the Start menu Run dialog, or use 'systeminfo' from command line, or check System Properties (Right-click My Computer > Properties). Look for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008.
    Affected if The installed Windows version is one of: Windows 2000 (all), Windows XP (all), Windows Server 2003 (all), Windows Vista (all), Windows Server 2008 (all).
  2. Verify if security patch MS08-046 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, check 'Show updates' box, and look for 'Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB950759)' or 'MS08-046'. Alternatively, run 'wmic qfe list' from command line and search for KB950759.
    Affected if The security update KB950759 (MS08-046) is NOT installed or listed in the installed updates.
  3. Check for third-party applications that process WMF files
    Review installed software for applications that handle graphics, documents, or images which may process Windows Metafile (WMF) format. Check application logs or recent file access for .wmf file processing activity.
    Affected if Third-party applications that process WMF files are installed and actively used on the system.

The system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows version among Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, or Server 2008, and processes WMF files through applications that use the GDI API without the MS08-046 security update applied.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability; third-party applications using the GDI API must implement proper validation of WMF file-size parameters before copy operations; consider restricting WMF file processing in untrusted applications until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2019/2022 (any currently supported version)

  1. Upgrade to a supported Windows version. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 reached end of support on April 11, 2017. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 reached end of support on April 8, 2014. Windows 2000 reached end of support on July 13, 2010.
  2. Identify the current operational requirements and select an appropriate supported Windows version (e.g., Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2019/2022).
  3. Plan and execute migration to the selected supported Windows version.
  4. After migration, ensure Windows Update is enabled and all latest security updates are installed.
Caveat Migration from older OS versions may require hardware upgrades, application compatibility testing, and potential application replacements as legacy software may not be compatible with newer Windows versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2008-3465 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