CVE-2008-3908
Multiple buffer overflows in Princeton WordNet (wn) 3.0 allow context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) a long argument on the command line; a long (2) WNSEARCHDIR, (3) WNHOME, or (4) WNDBVERSION environment variable; or (5) a user-supplied dictionary (aka data file). NOTE: since WordNet itself does not run with special privileges, this issue only crosses privilege boundaries when WordNet is invoked as a third party component.
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 10.0 (v2.0)
- Severity
- HIGH
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-119
- EPSS score
- 4.4% (91th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2008-3894)
- Published
- September 4, 2008
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2008-3894 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 7, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- princeton university / wordnet
References
- http://secunia.com/advisories/32184
- http://securityreason.com/securityalert/4217
- http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200810-01.xml
- http://www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-2008-014.html
- http://www.ocert.org/analysis/2008-014/analysis.txt
- http://www.ocert.org/analysis/2008-014/wordnet.patch
- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/495883/100/0/threaded
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30958(Patch)
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44848
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44849
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44850
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44851
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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