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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2008-3915

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-09-11
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
Buffer overflow in nfsd in the Linux kernel before 2.6.26.4, when NFSv4 is enabled, allows remote attackers to have an unknown impact via vectors related to decoding an NFSv4 acl.

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 confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NFS daemon (nfsd) when processing NFSv4 ACLs. The flaw exists in the ACL decoding functionality and can be exploited remotely via specially crafted NFSv4 ACL data, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution or denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade Linux kernel to version 2.6.26.4 or later; alternatively, disable NFSv4 and use NFSv3 until upgrade is possible, as NFSv4 must be enabled for exploitation.

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:= 2.6.18= 2.6.19.4= 2.6.19.5= 2.6.19.7= 2.6.20.16= 2.6.20.17= 2.6.20.18= 2.6.20.19= 2.6.20.20= 2.6.20.21= 2.6.21.5= 2.6.21.6

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to retrieve the running kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version matches one of the affected versions: 2.6.18, 2.6.19.4, 2.6.19.5, 2.6.19.7, 2.6.20.16, 2.6.20.17, 2.6.20.18, 2.6.20.19, 2.6.20.20, 2.6.20.21, 2.6.21.5, or 2.6.21.6
  2. Verify NFS daemon is running
    Check for nfsd processes using `ps aux | grep nfsd` or check NFS service status with your system init system (e.g., `service nfs status` or `systemctl status nfs`)
    Affected if The NFS daemon (nfsd) is actively running on the system
  3. Confirm NFSv4 is enabled
    Inspect NFS configuration files such as /etc/exports or /etc/exportfs, and check mount options on active NFS mounts. Look for 'v4' or 'nfsvers=4' in export or mount configurations
    Affected if NFSv4 protocol support is enabled in the NFS configuration or active mounts. Without NFSv4 enabled, the vulnerability cannot be triggered

The system is affected only if the running kernel version is one of the listed affected versions AND NFSv4 is enabled with the NFS daemon running.

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

Upgrade Linux kernel to version 2.6.26.4 or later; alternatively, disable NFSv4 and use NFSv3 until upgrade is possible, as NFSv4 must be enabled for exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 2.6.26.4 or later (or a modern stable kernel version from your distribution)

  1. 1. Check the currently running kernel version with: uname -r
  2. 2. Verify if NFSv4 is enabled by checking /proc/fs/nfsd or mount output
  3. 3. Update the kernel to version 2.6.26.4 or later using your distribution's package manager (e.g., apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-2.6.26 or yum update kernel)
  4. 4. If the distribution does not offer 2.6.26.4, consider upgrading to a newer stable kernel version available from your vendor
  5. 5. Reboot the system into the new kernel
  6. 6. After reboot, verify the new kernel version with: uname -r
  7. 7. Confirm the NFS service is running and NFSv4 is operational with: service nfs status or systemctl status nfs
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree kernel modules; verify compatibility with hardware drivers and ensure critical modules are available for the new kernel version

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2008-3915 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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