EsxApplication · VMware
CVE-2008-4281
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 · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in VMWare ESXi 3.5 before ESXe350-200810401-O-UG and ESX 3.5 before ESX350-200810201-UG allows administrators with the Datastore.FileManagement privilege to gain privileges via unknown vectors.
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 analysisA file path is built from user input without being confined, so sequences like “../” let an attacker step outside the intended directory. That can expose configuration, credentials, or source code, and in the worst case lets an attacker write files where they shouldn't. A durable fix resolves and canonicalises the path, then rejects anything that escapes a known-safe base directory.
General guidance for the path traversal class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
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
EsxApplication
<= 3.5
EsxiApplication
<= 3.5CVSS 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
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 · scopedESXi 3.5 should be upgraded to ESXe350-200810401-O-UG; ESX 3.5 should be upgraded to ESX350-200810201-UG
- 1. Identify current ESX/ESXi version by running 'vmware -v' on ESX or checking the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) on ESXi
- 2. Download the appropriate patch bundle from VMware: ESXe350-200810401-O-UG for ESXi 3.5 or ESX350-200810201-UG for ESX 3.5
- 3. Upload the patch bundle to the ESX/ESXi host via vCLI or SCP
- 4. For ESXi: Enter maintenance mode using 'vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_enter'
- 5. For ESX: Stop critical services using 'service vmware-vpxd stop' and 'service vmware-mgmt stop'
- 6. Apply the patch using 'vmware-update' command or vCLI 'hostupdate' utility
- 7. Reboot the host after patch application
- 8. Exit maintenance mode using 'vim-cmd hostsvc/maintenance_mode_exit'
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-4281 — 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-2008-4281 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
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