CVE-2008-5982
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 · uneditedFormat string vulnerability in BMC PATROL Agent before 3.7.30 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via format string specifiers in an invalid version number to TCP port 3181, which are not properly handled when writing a log message.
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 confidenceFormat string vulnerability in BMC PATROL Agent versions before 3.7.30 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending format string specifiers in an invalid version number to TCP port 3181. The vulnerability occurs because user-supplied input is passed unsafely to logging functions without proper sanitization.
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<= 3.7= 3.2= 3.2.3= 3.2.5= 3.2.7= 3.3.00= 3.4.00= 3.4.11CVSS 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.
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Confirm BMC PATROL Agent installationLocate the PATROL Agent executable or service. On Windows, check for 'PatrolAgent' service via Services console or 'sc query' command. On Unix/Linux, check for patrolAgent process via 'ps -ef | grep -i patrol' or look in /opt/bmc/Patrol directory.Affected if BMC PATROL Agent is not installed on the system.
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Identify installed PATROL Agent versionRun the PATROL Agent with version flag if available (commonly 'patrol -v' or check the executable properties), or examine the product documentation directory for version files. Check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\BMC Software\PATROL\Agent or Unix equivalent configuration files.Affected if Installed version is 3.7 or lower, specifically matching any of: 3.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.5, 3.2.7, 3.3.00, 3.4.00, or 3.4.11.
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Verify if TCP port 3181 is listeningRun 'netstat -an | grep 3181' on Unix or 'netstat -an | findstr 3181' on Windows. Alternatively, use 'nmap -p 3181 localhost' or 'telnet localhost 3181' to test connectivity.Affected if TCP port 3181 is open and accepting connections.
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Check network exposure of port 3181Review firewall rules or network configuration to determine if port 3181 is accessible from network addresses other than localhost. Use 'netstat -an' to see binding address (0.0.0.0 means all interfaces).Affected if Port 3181 binds to 0.0.0.0 or is accessible from untrusted network segments.
The system is affected if BMC PATROL Agent version 3.7 or lower is installed AND TCP port 3181 is exposed to network 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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade BMC PATROL Agent to version 3.7.30 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, consider network segmentation to restrict access to TCP port 3181 from untrusted sources.
BMC PATROL Agent 3.7.30 or later
- Identify the current version of BMC PATROL Agent installed in your environment
- Contact BMC Software to obtain the patched version (3.7.30 or later) from their official support channels
- Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- Stop the Patrol Agent service before upgrading
- Install BMC PATROL Agent version 3.7.30 or later
- Verify the installation was successful and the service starts properly
- Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by reviewing release notes or patch documentation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5982 — 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-2008-5982 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data