CVE-2008-4125
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 · uneditedThe search function in phpBB 2.x provides a search_id value that leaks the state of PHP's PRNG, which allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information, as demonstrated by a cross-application attack against WordPress, a different vulnerability than CVE-2006-0632.
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 confidenceThe phpBB 2.x search function exposes a search_id parameter that leaks the internal state of PHP's Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG). An attacker can use this leaked PRNG state to predict random values, potentially enabling cross-application attacks (as demonstrated against WordPress) or compromising session tokens, authentication tokens, or other cryptographically sensitive values generated using the same PRNG.
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= 2CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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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Confirm phpBB 2.x installationIdentify the installed phpBB version by checking the version file or database configuration. Common indicators include version.php, CHANGELOG files, or the site footer information if visible.Affected if The installed version is phpBB 2.x (any 2.0.x or 2.2.x release)
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Verify search function is enabledCheck the phpBB administration panel or configuration files for the search module status. The vulnerability requires the search functionality to be active.Affected if Search functionality is enabled in the phpBB installation
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Test search_id parameter exposureMake a search request via the web interface and observe the response. Check if the URL or response includes a search_id parameter that changes with each search and contains what appears to be a long numeric or alphanumeric string.Affected if The search_id parameter is present and returns values that could reveal PRNG state (long predictable sequences)
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Check PHP session token generationExamine whether PHP's default rand() or mt_rand() functions are used elsewhere in the application for session IDs, tokens, or other cryptographic values.Affected if The same PHP installation uses rand() or mt_rand() for generating session identifiers, authentication tokens, or other sensitive random values
A system is affected if it runs phpBB 2.x with the search function enabled, as this exposes the PRNG state through the search_id parameter which can compromise other cryptographic operations using the same PRNG.
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 from phpBB 2.x to a supported version (phpBB 3.x or later) as phpBB 2.x is end-of-life and no longer receives security patches. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement additional randomization mechanisms outside of the vulnerable PRNG-dependent code for critical operations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-4125 — 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-2008-4125 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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