CVE-2008-4551

CVE-2008-4551 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Strongswan with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0. 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-399.

Key facts

Description

strongSwan 4.2.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via an IKE_SA_INIT message with a large number of NULL values in a Key Exchange payload, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference for the return value of the mpz_export function in the GNU Multiprecision Library (GMP).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-4551?
strongSwan 4.2.6 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via an IKE_SA_INIT message with a large number of NULL values in a Key Exchange payload, which triggers a NULL pointer dereference for the return value of the mpz_export function in the GNU Multiprecision Library (GMP).
How severe is CVE-2008-4551?
CVE-2008-4551 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2008-4551 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (83rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-4551?
CVE-2008-4551 primarily affects Strongswan. In total, 61 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-4551?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2008-4551 published?
CVE-2008-4551 was published on 2008-10-14 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (61)

More vulnerabilities in Strongswan

All CVEs affecting Strongswan →

Other CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities →