CVE-2008-5872
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 · uneditedMultiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the UNIStim File Transfer Protocol (UFTP) processing in IP Client Manager (IPCM) in Nortel Multimedia Communication Server (MSC) 5100 3.0.13 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device outage) via a UFTP message that has a negative block size or other crafted Connection Details values.
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 · moderate confidenceVulnerability in Nortel MSC 5100 3.0.13 IP Client Manager (IPCM) allows remote attackers to cause denial of service via crafted UNIStim File Transfer Protocol (UFTP) messages containing negative block size or other malicious Connection Details values, resulting in device outage.
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
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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.
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Confirm Nortel MSC 5100 is deployedInventory your network for Nortel Multimedia Communication Server 5100 devices or virtual appliances. Check device labels, management interfaces, or network scans for this specific product name.Affected if The product is not present in the environment, the vulnerability does not apply.
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Identify IPCM versionAccess the IP Client Manager administrative interface or check the software version reported in the device system information or management console. Look for version 3.0.13 specifically.Affected if The installed version is 3.0.13, indicating the exact affected version.
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Verify UFTP service is enabledCheck the IPCM configuration for the UNIStim File Transfer Protocol (UFTP) service status. This is typically found in the IPCM service settings or port configuration. UFTP typically uses TCP port 5100 or similar.Affected if UFTP service is actively listening and accepting connections, making it reachable for crafted message attacks.
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Check network accessibility of IPCMDetermine if the IPCM management interface or UFTP ports are exposed to untrusted networks. Use network scans or firewall rules to identify if TCP ports used by IPCM are reachable from outside the trusted network segment.Affected if IPC M UFTP ports are accessible from untrusted networks or the internet, the device is vulnerable to remote denial of service.
The environment is affected if a Nortel MSC 5100 with IPCM version 3.0.13 has UFTP service enabled and is network-accessible to potential attackers.
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 dataGiven this is a 2008 vulnerability in likely end-of-life hardware, primary mitigation involves network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict access to IPCM services, or replacement of the legacy device if patches are unavailable.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-5872 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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