How severe is CVE-2008-3844?

CVE-2008-3844 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2008-3844 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-3844?

CVE-2008-3844 affects Openbsd Openssh. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-3844?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2008-3844 published?

CVE-2008-3844 was published on 2008-08-27 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-3844

CVE-2008-3844 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Openbsd Openssh with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (84th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Openbsd Openssh
Published: 2008-08-27
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Certain Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4 and 5 packages for OpenSSH, as signed in August 2008 using a legitimate Red Hat GPG key, contain an externally introduced modification (Trojan Horse) that allows the package authors to have an unknown impact. NOTE: since the malicious packages were not distributed from any official Red Hat sources, the scope of this issue is restricted to users who may have obtained these packages through unofficial distribution points. As of 20080827, no unofficial distributions of this software are known.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-3844?: Certain Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4 and 5 packages for OpenSSH, as signed in August 2008 using a legitimate Red Hat GPG key, contain an externally introduced modification (Trojan Horse) that allows the package authors to have an unknown impact. NOTE: since the malicious packages were not distributed from any official Red Hat sources, the scope of this issue is restricted to users who may have obtained these packages through unofficial distribution points. As of 20080827, no unofficial distributions of this software are known.
How severe is CVE-2008-3844?: CVE-2008-3844 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2008-3844 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-3844?: CVE-2008-3844 affects Openbsd Openssh. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-3844?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2008-3844 published?: CVE-2008-3844 was published on 2008-08-27 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Openbsd Openssh

CVE-2003-0786 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The SSH1 PAM challenge response authentication in OpenSSH 3.7.1 and 3.7.1p1, when Privilege Separation is disabled,…
CVE-2003-0693 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A "buffer management error" in buffer_append_space of buffer.c for OpenSSH before 3.7 may allow remote attackers to…
CVE-2002-0640 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in sshd in OpenSSH 2.3.1 through 3.3 may allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a large…
CVE-2001-0144 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): CORE SDI SSH1 CRC-32 compensation attack detector allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on an SSH…
CVE-2000-0999 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerabilities in OpenBSD ssh program (and possibly other BSD-based operating systems) allow attackers…
CVE-2000-0525 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): OpenSSH does not properly drop privileges when the UseLogin option is enabled, which allows local users to execute…

All CVEs affecting Openbsd Openssh →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48316 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48281 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48277 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48055 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Streambert is a cross-platform Electron Desktop App to stream and download any video media. In versions 2.4.0 and…
CVE-2026-34910 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit an Improper Input Validation vulnerability found in UniFi OS…
CVE-2026-33587 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Lack of user input sanitisation in Open Notebook v1.8.3 allows the application user to execute Python code (and…

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

152.32.208.73 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.11.52 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.11.170 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.202.244 (ipv4-addr)
150.107.38.40 (ipv4-addr)
95.59.142.69 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.182.179 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.217.163 (ipv4-addr)