CVE-2008-4220
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 · uneditedInteger overflow in the inet_net_pton API in Libsystem in Apple Mac OS X before 10.5.6 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via unspecified vectors. NOTE: this may be related to the WLB-2008080064 advisory published by SecurityReason on 20080822; however, as of 20081216, there are insufficient details to be sure.
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 confidenceInteger overflow in the inet_net_pton API in Libsystem on Apple Mac OS X before version 10.5.6 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors related to network address parsing.
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<= 10.5.5= 10.4.11= 10.5= 10.5.1= 10.5.2= 10.5.3= 10.5.4<= 10.5.5= 10.4.11= 10.5= 10.5.1= 10.5.2= 10.5.3= 10.5.4CVSS 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.
-
Check Mac OS X versionRun 'sw_vers' or select 'About This Mac' from the Apple menu to view the installed OS versionAffected if The version is 10.4.11, 10.5, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, or 10.5.5 (versions before 10.5.6)
-
Verify Libsystem versionCheck /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib or run 'otool -L /usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib' to identify the library version if availableAffected if The Libsystem version corresponds to an affected Mac OS X release (10.4.11 through 10.5.5)
-
Identify use of inet_net_pton APISearch application binaries and scripts for calls to inet_net_pton or inet_pton functions using 'nm' or 'strings' tools, or review source code for these function callsAffected if Applications or services are actively parsing network addresses using the inet_net_pton function from Libsystem
You are affected if your Mac OS X version is 10.5.5 or earlier (10.4.11 through 10.5.5) and any software on your system uses the inet_net_pton API to parse network addresses.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the Apple security update for Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later; if the affected system cannot be updated, minimize network exposure and restrict privileged access to limit attack surface.
Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later
- Upgrade Mac OS X to version 10.5.6 or later to resolve the integer overflow vulnerability in the inet_net_pton API in Libsystem
- If upgrading to 10.5.6 is not feasible, consider upgrading to a later stable release of Mac OS X for additional security fixes
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-4220 — 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-2008-4220 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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