CVE-2008-5124
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 · uneditedJSCAPE Secure FTP Applet 4.8.0 and earlier does not ask the user to verify a new or mismatched SSH host key, which makes it easier for remote attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks.
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 confidenceJSCAPE Secure FTP Applet versions 4.8.0 and earlier fail to prompt users when encountering a new or mismatched SSH host key during connection establishment. This allows the applet to automatically accept any host key without user verification, enabling man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept communications by presenting their own malicious host key.
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<= 4.8.0= 1.1= 1.2= 1.3= 1.4= 1.5= 1.6= 2.0= 2.1= 2.5= 2.6= 3.0CVSS 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
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Identify if JSCAPE Secure FTP Applet is in useSearch for JSCAPE applet files (jsftp*.jar, jscape*.jar) in the system, browser cache directories, or application deployment locations. Check browser history or bookmarks for sites using this applet.Affected if JSCAPE Secure FTP Applet is present on the system or being used via web browser.
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Determine the applet versionLocate the JAR file and check its version metadata. If deployed via HTML, inspect the archive= parameter in the applet tag for the version number. Check the Java console or application about/info panel if accessible.Affected if The installed version is 4.8.0 or earlier, or matches any of these: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, or 3.0.
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Verify SSH host key verification behaviorAttempt an SFTP connection using the applet to a server with a deliberately changed or new SSH host key. Observe whether the applet displays a prompt asking the user to verify the unknown host key before proceeding.Affected if The applet connects without presenting any host key verification prompt, automatically accepting the key.
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Check applet configuration or settingsIf accessible, examine the applet configuration files or Java preferences for settings related to host key verification, known_hosts management, or automatic host key acceptance.Affected if A configuration option enables automatic acceptance of unknown host keys, or no host key verification setting exists.
You are affected if JSCAPE Secure FTP Applet version 4.8.0 or earlier is in use and connects to SSH/SFTP servers without prompting the user to verify new or changed host keys.
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 to a version that implements proper SSH host key verification, or replace with a current SFTP client that prompts users to verify new or changed host keys before establishing connections.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $13,440.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5124 — 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-2008-5124 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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