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CVE-2008-3496: Linux kernel video driver may overflow memory

CVE-2008-3496 · published 18 years ago

Summary

The video handling code in the Linux kernel (used for USB webcams) can write beyond the end of a data area when it parses video format information. This could let an attacker cause a crash or take control of the system. Upgrade the kernel to version 2.6.26.1 or later, or apply the vendor’s patch, to fix the issue.

What to do

Update linux linux_kernel to version 2.6.26.1 or later.

Affected software

Vendor	Product	Affected versions
linux	linux_kernel	< 2.6.26.1 `cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::`

Original advisory text

Buffer overflow in format descriptor parsing in the uvc_parse_format function in drivers/media/video/uvc/uvc_driver.c in uvcvideo in the video4linux (V4L) implementation in the Linux kernel before ...

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-09/msg00004.html Mailing List Third Party Advisory
http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/7/30/655 Third Party Advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/31982 Third Party Advisory
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.26.1 Release Notes Vendor Advisory
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:223 Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30514 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44184 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry

Fix within

Internet-facing 3 days

Internal 60 days

Not known to be exploited
Can be exploited automatically (estimated)
Gives an attacker full control (estimated)

Severity

10.0 Critical

Exploitation

3% chance of attack within 30 days

Type

CWE-120Classic Buffer Overflow

Timeline

Published6 Aug 2008

Updated2 Nov 2026

First seen29 Sep 2026

Sources

CVE-2008-3496 · NVD

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