CVE-2008-4562
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the ovlaunch CGI program in HP OpenView Network Node Manager (OV NNM) 7.01, 7.51, and 7.53 on Windows allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Host parameter. NOTE: this issue may be partially covered by CVE-2009-0205.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in HP OpenView Network Node Manager's ovlaunch CGI program allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending a crafted Host parameter. The overflow occurs due to insufficient bounds checking when processing the Host parameter in the CGI program on Windows systems.
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= 7.0.1= 7.51= 7.53CVSS 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.
-
Confirm HP OpenView Network Node Manager installationCheck for the presence of HP OpenView Network Node Manager in the system. Look for installation directories such as C:\Program Files\HP OpenView or C:\HP\OV, and verify the ovlaunch.exe CGI program exists in the \cgi-bin\ directory.Affected if The product is installed and the ovlaunch CGI program is present on a Windows system.
-
Identify installed versionLocate version information for the HP OpenView Network Node Manager installation. Check the program's properties or look for version files in the installation directory. Compare the installed version against the affected versions: 7.0.1, 7.51, and 7.53.Affected if The installed version matches exactly 7.0.1, 7.51, or 7.53.
-
Verify CGI interface is accessibleDetermine if the ovlaunch CGI program is accessible over the network. Check web server configuration for CGI mappings to ovlaunch.exe and confirm the CGI-BIN directory is exposed via HTTP/HTTPS.Affected if The ovlaunch CGI is accessible via web interface and responds to requests.
-
Inspect Host parameter handlingReview the ovlaunch CGI program for how it processes the Host parameter. Test by sending a request with an unusually long Host header or parameter value to observe if proper bounds checking is performed.Affected if The CGI accepts and processes the Host parameter without proper input validation.
-
Check for applied patchesReview installed hotfixes or patches for HP OpenView Network Node Manager. Check HP support documentation for security patches released after 2008 that address CVE-2008-4562.Affected if No security patches for CVE-2008-4562 have been applied to the affected version.
A user is affected if HP OpenView Network Node Manager version 7.0.1, 7.51, or 7.53 is installed on Windows with the ovlaunch CGI accessible and without the relevant security patch applied.
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 dataApply HP security patches for OpenView Network Node Manager or upgrade to a patched version. If no patch is available, restrict network access to the CGI interface using network segmentation or web application firewall rules.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-4562 — 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-2008-4562 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