CVE-2008-4989

Name: CVE-2008-4989
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2008-11-13T01:00:01.177+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.9/10EPSS 1.88%

Last modified Jun 16, 2026

CVE-2008-4989 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.9/10 on the CVSS scale. The _gnutls_x509_verify_certificate function in lib/x509/verify.c in libgnutls in GnuTLS before 2.6.1 trusts certificate chains in which the last certificate is an arbitrary trusted, self-signed certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to insert a spoofed certificate for any Distinguished Name (DN).. EPSS estimates a 1.88% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

The _gnutls_x509_verify_certificate function in lib/x509/verify.c in libgnutls in GnuTLS before 2.6.1 trusts certificate chains in which the last certificate is an arbitrary trusted, self-signed certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to insert a spoofed certificate for any Distinguished Name (DN).

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.9/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.88%

76.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-295

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Gnutls	< 2.6.1
Fedoraproject	Fedora	8
Fedoraproject	Fedora	9
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	6.06
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	7.10
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	8.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	8.10
Debian	Debian Linux	4.0
Opensuse	Opensuse	>= 10.3, <= 11.1
Suse	Linux Enterprise	10.0
Suse	Linux Enterprise	11.0
Suse	Linux Enterprise Server	10
Suse	Linux Enterprise Server	11

References

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.gpg.gnutls.devel/3215Broken Link, Patch
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.gpg.gnutls.devel/3217Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-12/msg00002.htmlMailing List
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-04/msg00010.htmlMailing List
http://secunia.com/advisories/32619Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/32681Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32687Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32879Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33501Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33694Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/35423Broken Link
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200901-10.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-260528-1Broken Link
http://wiki.rpath.com/Advisories:rPSA-2008-0322Broken Link
http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1719Mailing List
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/security.htmlProduct
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:227Broken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0982.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/498431/100/0/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/32232Broken Link, Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021167Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-678-2Third Party Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/3086Broken Link
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1567Broken Link
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/46482Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://issues.rpath.com/browse/RPL-2886Broken Link
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11650Broken Link
https://usn.ubuntu.com/678-1/Broken Link
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-November/msg00222.htmlMailing List
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-November/msg00293.htmlMailing List
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.gpg.gnutls.devel/3215Broken Link, Patch
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.gpg.gnutls.devel/3217Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-12/msg00002.htmlMailing List
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-04/msg00010.htmlMailing List
http://secunia.com/advisories/32619Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/32681Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32687Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/32879Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33501Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/33694Broken Link
http://secunia.com/advisories/35423Broken Link
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200901-10.xmlThird Party Advisory
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-260528-1Broken Link
http://wiki.rpath.com/Advisories:rPSA-2008-0322Broken Link
http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1719Mailing List
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/security.htmlProduct
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:227Broken Link
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0982.htmlBroken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/498431/100/0/threadedBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/32232Broken Link, Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021167Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-678-2Third Party Advisory
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/3086Broken Link
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1567Broken Link
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/46482Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://issues.rpath.com/browse/RPL-2886Broken Link
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11650Broken Link
https://usn.ubuntu.com/678-1/Broken Link
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-November/msg00222.htmlMailing List
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-November/msg00293.htmlMailing List

Timeline

Published: Nov 13, 2008
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2008-4989?

How severe is CVE-2008-4989?

CVE-2008-4989 has a CVSS score of 5.9/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.88% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2008-4989?

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-2008-4989?

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

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Source: NVD / NIST