# CVE-2008-3252: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code via a stack-based buffer overflow in newsx when processing news articles with many lines starting with a period.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Jul 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DSA-1622-1, GHSA-257h-jgf3-638q

## What is CVE-2008-3252?

CVE-2008-3252 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Stack-based buffer overflow in the read_article function in getarticle.c in newsx 1.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a news article containing a large number of lines starting with a period.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-3252?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Fedora Newsx.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-3252?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2008-3252 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-3252 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-3252 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-3252 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Jul 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-2008-3252 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-2008-3252/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3252/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-3252
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-3252
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-3252

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3252/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.