# CVE-2008-3792: Null dereference in n/a

> Attackers can cause a kernel panic and denial of service via NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel SCTP implementation when authentication extensions are disabled.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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:** 3 Sep 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** CVE-2008-3793, GHSA-wq73-mhj6-vjhc

## What is CVE-2008-3792?

CVE-2008-3792 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Sep 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

net/sctp/socket.c in the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (sctp) implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.26.4 does not verify that the SCTP-AUTH extension is enabled before proceeding with SCTP-AUTH API functions, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and panic) via vectors that result in calls to (1) sctp_setsockopt_auth_chunk, (2) sctp_setsockopt_hmac_ident, (3) sctp_setsockopt_auth_key, (4) sctp_setsockopt_active_key, (5) sctp_setsockopt_del_key, (6) sctp_getsockopt_maxburst, (7) sctp_getsockopt_active_key, (8) sctp_getsockopt_peer_auth_chunks, or (9) sctp_getsockopt_local_auth_chunks.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-3792?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-3792?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2008-3792 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-3792 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-3792 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-3792 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Sep 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-2008-3792 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2008-3792/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3792/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-3792
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-3792
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-3792

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3792/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.