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EdirectoryApplication · Novell

CVE-2008-5092

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.8 or later.
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
Heap-based buffer overflows in Novell eDirectory HTTP protocol stack (HTTPSTK) before 8.8 SP3 have unknown impact and attack vectors related to the (1) HTTP language header and (2) HTTP content-length header.

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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in Novell eDirectory HTTP protocol stack (HTTPSTK) affects the HTTP language header and HTTP content-length header processing. This is a remote code execution vulnerability with CVSS 10 severity, allowing attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code via specially crafted HTTP requests.

MitigationUpgrade to Novell eDirectory 8.8 SP3 or later to patch the vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider restricting or disabling HTTP services on affected systems until the upgrade can be applied.

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
EdirectoryApplication
Affected:<= 8.8= 8.0= 8.5= 8.5.12a= 8.5.27= 8.6.2= 8.7= 8.7.1= 8.7.3= 8.7.3.8= 8.7.3.8_presp9= 8.7.3.9

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Novell eDirectory is installed
    Look for the ndsd service or the eDirectory installation directory (typically under /opt/novell eDirectory or C:\Novell\eDirectory on Windows). Check running processes for ndsd or query the system service manager for Novell eDirectory services.
    Affected if Novell eDirectory is not present on the system, the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Identify installed eDirectory version
    Run the command 'ndsd --version' or 'ndsversion' if available, or inspect the eDirectory installation logs and version files in the installation directory. Compare the detected version number against the affected list: 8.0, 8.5, 8.5.12a, 8.5.27, 8.6.2, 8.7, 8.7.1, 8.7.3, 8.7.3.8, 8.7.3.8_presp9, 8.7.3.9, or any version 8.8 or lower.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE.
  3. Verify HTTPSTK (HTTP services) is enabled
    Check if the HTTP or HTTPSTK service/module is loaded and active. This can be done by querying the eDirectory configuration, checking for httpstk processes, or reviewing the ndsd startup configuration files for HTTP-related modules.
    Affected if The HTTP protocol stack (HTTPSTK) is disabled or not loaded, the attack surface for this vulnerability may not be present.
  4. Check HTTP service listening status
    Identify if the HTTP service is bound to a network interface and listening on HTTP ports (typically 8028, 8080, or 443). Use netstat or equivalent to check for listening services on these ports associated with the eDirectory process.
    Affected if HTTP services are exposed on network ports, the system is vulnerable to remote exploitation via crafted HTTP requests.

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable version of Novell eDirectory (8.8 or lower, specifically the listed versions) with the HTTPSTK service enabled and accessible on the network.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Novell eDirectory 8.8 SP3 or later to patch the vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider restricting or disabling HTTP services on affected systems until the upgrade can be applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

eDirectory 8.8 SP3

  1. 1. Backup the current eDirectory configuration and data before making any changes.
  2. 2. Download eDirectory 8.8 SP3 or later from the Novell/NetIQ download portal.
  3. 3. Install eDirectory 8.8 SP3 following the standard upgrade procedure for your platform.
  4. 4. Verify the HTTPSTK service is running correctly after the upgrade.
  5. 5. Test that eDirectory services are functioning normally, particularly HTTP-based access.
Caveat Upgrading eDirectory is a significant change; ensure compatibility with dependent applications and review release notes for any known issues or required migration steps.

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

Fix this in Edirectory Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2008-5092 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