# CVE-2008-3270: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Attackers can bypass SSL verification in yum-rhn-plugin to cause denial of service or force installation of unrequested packages via man-in-the-middle attacks.

- **Severity:** Low 2.6 (`AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Aug 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pvfw-g6m7-hcq2, RHSA-2008:0815

## What is CVE-2008-3270?

CVE-2008-3270 is a low-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux, published on 18 Aug 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

yum-rhn-plugin in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 does not verify the SSL certificate for a file download from a Red Hat Network (RHN) server, which makes it easier for remote man-in-the-middle attackers to cause a denial of service (loss of updates) or force the download and installation of official Red Hat packages that were not requested.

Weakness: CWE-310

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-3270?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `yum-rhn-plugin` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client | All versions | 0:0.5.3-12.el5_2.9 |
| `yum-rhn-plugin` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server | All versions | 0:0.5.3-12.el5_2.9 |

Products: Redhat Enterprise Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-3270?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2008-3270 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-3270 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Enterprise Linux

- [CVE-2018-14667](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14667/): Red Hat JBoss RichFaces Framework Expression Language Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-20325](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20325/): Missing fixes for CVE-2021-40438 and CVE-2021-26691 in the versions of httpd, as shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5.0, causes a securit (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-25011](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-25011/): Memory corruption in libwebp (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-25014](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-25014/): Other in libwebp (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-3585](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3585/): Supply chain in redhat-upgrade-tool (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-3270 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-3270 is a low-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux, published on 18 Aug 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-2008-3270 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Redhat Enterprise Linux. 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-2008-3270/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3270/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-3270
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-3270
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-3270

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3270/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.