HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2008-4539

HIGH

CVE-2008-4539

CWE-119Published: December 29, 2008· Updated: Jun 16, 2026

7.2

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the Cirrus VGA implementation in (1) KVM before kvm-82 and (2) QEMU on Debian GNU/Linux and Ubuntu might allow local users to gain privileges by using the VNC console for a connection, aka the LGD-54XX "bitblt" heap overflow. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2007-1320.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2008-4539 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.

User Interaction

Scope

Impact

ConfidentialityC

IntegrityC

AvailabilityC

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)

ubuntu linux

Debian1 product(s)

debian linux

kvm_qumranet1 product(s)

kvm

qemu1 product(s)

qemu

Source: NVD CPE · 8 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://groups.google.com/group/linux.debian.changes.devel/msg/9e0dc008572f2867?dmode=source

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-04/msg00003.html

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/25073

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/29129

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/33350

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/34642

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/35031

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/35062

ADVISORYhttp://svn.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/?view=rev&root=qemu&revision=5587

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1799

ADVISORYhttp://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-776-1

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=237342

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=448525

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466890

ADVISORYhttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/47736

ADVISORYhttps://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+source/qemu/0.9.1+svn20081112-1ubuntu1

ADVISORYhttps://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-December/msg01223.html

ADVISORYhttp://groups.google.com/group/linux.debian.changes.devel/msg/9e0dc008572f2867?dmode=source

ADVISORYhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-04/msg00003.html

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/25073

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/29129

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/33350

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/34642

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/35031

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/35062

ADVISORYhttp://svn.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/?view=rev&root=qemu&revision=5587

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1799

ADVISORYhttp://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-776-1

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=237342

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=448525

ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466890

ADVISORYhttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/47736

ADVISORYhttps://launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+source/qemu/0.9.1+svn20081112-1ubuntu1

ADVISORYhttps://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-December/msg01223.html

All References (40)

→

http://git.kernel.dk/?p=qemu.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=65d35a09979e63541afc5bfc595b9f1b1b4ae069

→

http://groups.google.com/group/linux.debian.changes.devel/msg/9e0dc008572f2867?dmode=sourceThird Party Advisory

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-04/msg00003.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/25073Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/29129Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/33350Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/34642Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/35031Third Party Advisory

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/35062Third Party Advisory

→

http://svn.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/?view=rev&root=qemu&revision=5587Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1799Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.mail-archive.com/cvs-all%40freebsd.org/msg129730.html

→

http://www.mail-archive.com/secure-testing-commits%40lists.alioth.debian.org/msg09322.html

→

http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-776-1Third Party Advisory

→

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=237342Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2008-4539

CVSS Score7.2 / 10

SeverityHIGH

WeaknessCWE-119

CISA KEVNo

Affected4 vendor(s)

PublishedDec 29, 2008

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2008-4539 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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