# CVE-2008-4302: Denial of service in n/a

> Local users can crash the Linux kernel by triggering a bug in the splice subsystem, causing a system-wide denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 29 Sep 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vxc2-696q-6c9j

## What is CVE-2008-4302?

CVE-2008-4302 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 29 Sep 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

fs/splice.c in the splice subsystem in the Linux kernel before 2.6.22.2 does not properly handle a failure of the add_to_page_cache_lru function, and subsequently attempts to unlock a page that was not locked, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel BUG and system crash), as demonstrated by the fio I/O tool.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-4302?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel, Redhat Enterprise Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-4302?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2008-4302 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-4302 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Linux Kernel 2.6.x - 'add_to_page_cache_lru()' Local Denial of Service (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-4302 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-4302 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 29 Sep 2008. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2008-4302 exists.

Affected product: Debian Debian 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-2008-4302/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4302/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-4302
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4302
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-4302

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4302/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.