CVE-2008-3275

Name: CVE-2008-3275
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2008-08-12T23:41:00+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.51%

Last modified Jun 16, 2026

CVE-2008-3275 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. The (1) real_lookup and (2) __lookup_hash functions in fs/namei.c in the vfs implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.25.15 do not prevent creation of a child dentry for a deleted (aka S_DEAD) directory, which allows local users to cause a denial of service ("overflow" of the UBIFS orphan area) via a series of attempted file creations within deleted directories.. EPSS estimates a 0.51% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

The (1) real_lookup and (2) __lookup_hash functions in fs/namei.c in the vfs implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.25.15 do not prevent creation of a child dentry for a deleted (aka S_DEAD) directory, which allows local users to cause a denial of service ("overflow" of the UBIFS orphan area) via a series of attempted file creations within deleted directories.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.51%

39.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-120

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	< 2.6.25.15	—
Debian	Debian Linux	4.0	—
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	6.06	—
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	7.04	—
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	7.10	—
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	8.04	—
Suse	Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop	10	Sp1
Suse	Suse Linux Enterprise Server	10	Sp1

References

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=d70b67c8bc72ee23b55381bd6a884f4796692f77
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.25.15Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-10/msg00001.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-10/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/7/2/83Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/31551Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31614Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31836Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31881Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32023Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32104Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32190Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32344Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33201Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33280Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33556Broken Link
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1630Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1636Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:220Broken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0787.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0857.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0885.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0973.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-0014.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30647Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1020739Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2430Broken Link
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=457858Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44410Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10744Third Party Advisory
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6551Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/637-1/Third Party Advisory
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=d70b67c8bc72ee23b55381bd6a884f4796692f77
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.25.15Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-10/msg00001.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-10/msg00003.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/7/2/83Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/31551Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31614Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31836Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/31881Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32023Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32104Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32190Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32344Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33201Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33280Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33556Broken Link
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1630Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1636Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:220Broken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0787.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0857.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0885.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0973.htmlBroken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-0014.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30647Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1020739Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2430Broken Link
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=457858Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44410Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10744Third Party Advisory
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6551Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/637-1/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Aug 12, 2008
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2008-3275?

How severe is CVE-2008-3275?

CVE-2008-3275 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2008-3275?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2008-3275?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST