# CVE-2008-0555: Auth bypass in n/a

> Remote attackers can bypass authentication by crafting a client certificate with specific characters in the Distinguished Name, affecting Apache-SSL.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Apr 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7843-hchm-wf25

## What is CVE-2008-0555?

CVE-2008-0555 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 4 Apr 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The ExpandCert function in Apache-SSL before apache_1.3.41+ssl_1.59 does not properly handle (1) '/' and (2) '=' characters in a Distinguished Name (DN) in a client certificate, which might allow remote attackers to bypass authentication via a crafted DN that triggers overwriting of environment variables.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-0555?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Apache-Ssl Apache-Ssl.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-0555?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-0555 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-0555 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-0555 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2004-0009](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0009/): Auth bypass in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2002-0082](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0082/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-0555 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-0555 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in n/a, published on 4 Apr 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-0555 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0555/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0555/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-0555
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-0555
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-0555

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0555/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.