CVE-2008-5871
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 · uneditedNortel Multimedia Communication Server (MSC) 5100 3.0.13 does not verify credentials during call placement, which allows remote attackers to spoof and redirect VoIP calls, possibly related to the snoop command.
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 confidenceNortel Multimedia Communication Server (MSC) 5100 version 3.0.13 fails to verify credentials during VoIP call placement, enabling remote attackers to spoof or redirect calls. The vulnerability appears connected to the snoop command, likely allowing unauthorized monitoring or manipulation of call signaling.
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= 3.0.13CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/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 installed Nortel MSC 5100 versionAccess the MSC administration interface or check system documentation for the installed software version. Look in the About or Version section of the MSC management console, or run the appropriate version command if available in the system CLI.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.0.13, which matches the affected version listed for this CVE.
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Verify snoop command statusCheck whether the snoop command functionality is enabled or accessible on the MSC system. Review system logs for any snoop command usage, and examine the VoIP configuration settings for diagnostic or monitoring features.Affected if The snoop command is enabled or accessible without authentication, indicating the vulnerability may be present.
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Confirm lack of credential verification on VoIP callsReview the VoIP call signaling configuration on the MSC system. Check whether SIP authentication or other credential validation is enforced during call placement. Test by placing a call and inspecting whether authentication headers are required.Affected if VoIP call placement proceeds without requiring credentials or authentication, leaving the system vulnerable to spoofing.
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Inspect for unauthorized call monitoring or redirectionReview call logs and signaling records for any suspicious activity, such as calls from unrecognized sources, unexpected call redirects, or monitoring sessions that were not initiated by authorized users.Affected if Call records show unauthorized call placements, redirections, or monitoring activity that bypassed normal authentication controls.
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Assess network access to MSC VoIP servicesExamine network access controls and firewall rules protecting the MSC system. Determine whether VoIP ports and management interfaces are exposed to untrusted networks or lack IP-based restrictions.Affected if The MSC VoIP services are accessible from untrusted networks without additional authentication or IPsec protections.
A user is affected if their Nortel MSC 5100 is running version 3.0.13 and the system allows unauthenticated VoIP call placement or exposes the snoop command functionality without proper access controls.
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 patched version of Nortel MSC 5100 or migrate to a supported VoIP platform; if upgrade is not feasible, implement network-level authentication controls (e.g., SIP authentication, IPsec) and restrict access to the VoIP infrastructure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5871 — 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-2008-5871 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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