CVE-2008-4250
Microsoft Windows Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
The Server service in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, Server 2008, and 7 Pre-Beta allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted RPC request that triggers the overflow during path canonicalization, as exploited in the wild by Gimmiv.A in October 2008, aka "Server Service Vulnerability."
Published Updated Sources: NVD, Microsoft (CNA), CISA, FIRST EPSS, GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, Exploit-DB
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.
Exploitation
Confirmed
CISA KEV, listed May 20, 2026
EPSS
99%
top of FIRST's scoreset
CVSS base
10
high · 2 sources
CISA SSVC assessment
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Exploitation
Active
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade Windows to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.
CISA required action
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Federal deadline Jun 3, 2026 — passed 81 days ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.
- Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
- Treat as emergency remediation because CISA KEV status is present.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows | — | Vulnerable |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Availability
Changed
Confidentiality
Changed
Integrity
Changed
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Vector
Network
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | CNA, GHSA |
| 10 | CVSS 2.0 | high | 10 | 10 | NVD |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness & attack patterns
- CWE-94Code Injection
- CWE-119
Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.
- T1027.006Obfuscated Files or Information: HTML Smuggling
- T1027.009Obfuscated Files or Information: Embedded Payloads
- T1564.009Hide Artifacts: Resource Forking
CISA KEV details
CISA lists a CVE here once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
Listed
May 20, 2026
Federal deadline
Jun 3, 2026
passed 81 days ago
Ransomware use
Unknown
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a date to argue against.
Public exploit
Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.
Repositories
60
Exploit entries
6
Exploit-DB and CTI exploit indexes
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Windows.
- Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 66 public PoC repositories were reported.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.
- 2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 10.0 (AV:N)
Jun 16, 2026 · NVD
Added to CISA KEV catalog
May 20, 2026 · CISA
- 2022
Added · GHSA-3v68-r58v-m4c2 published (high)
May 2, 2022 · GitHub Security Advisory
- 2016
Added · remote entry: Microsoft Windows - 'NetAPI32.dll' Code Execution (Python) (MS08-067)
Feb 26, 2016 · Exploit-DB
- 2008
Added · Verified remote entry: Microsoft Windows Server - Code Execution (MS08-067)
Nov 12, 2008 · Exploit-DB
Initial · CVE published
Oct 23, 2008 · NVD
Added · Verified dos entry: Microsoft Windows Server - Code Execution (PoC) (MS08-067)
Oct 23, 2008 · Exploit-DB
References
24 on the record
- blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/1150
Permissions Required
- marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=122703006921213&w=2
Issue Tracking, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/32326
Patch, Vendor Advisory
- www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/827267
Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497808/100/0/threaded
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497816/100/0/threaded
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/31874
Broken Link, Exploit, Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- www.securitytracker.com/id?1021091
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Elsewhere on this site
- Microsoftevery CVE for this vendor
- May 2026what else CISA listed
- Remote Code Execsame class
- CWE-94other pages naming this weakness
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2008-4250 is Microsoft Windows Buffer Overflow Vulnerability, a high vulnerability affecting Windows from Microsoft. The current evidence lists it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Yes: CISA KEV signal present. Public exploit evidence is: 66 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 10 describes technical severity, while EPSS 99% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.