CVE-2008-1676: High severity red hat certificate system vulnerability

Published May 5, 2008
·
Updated

A flaw was found in a way Red Hat Certificate System handled Extensions in the certificate signing requests (CSR). All requested Extensions were added to issued certificate despite constraints defined in Certificate Authority (CA) profile.

For example, CSR could contain Basic Constraints or Key Usage constraint that once copied to issued certificate would result in creation of subordinate CA certificate, even though CA configuration prohibits issuing of subordinate CA certificate, possibly leading to a bypass the intended security policy.

Affected versions: Red Hat Certificate System 7.1, 7.2, 7.3 Netscape Certificate Management System 6.x

Other sources

Red Hat PKI Common Framework (rhpki-common) in Red Hat Certificate System (aka Certificate Server or RHCS) 7.1 through 7.3, and Netscape Certificate Management System 6.x, does not recognize Certificate Authority profile constraints on Extensions, which might allow remote attackers to bypass intended restrictions and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks by submitting a certificate signing request (CSR) and using the resulting certificate.

Affected Software

7 affected components
redhat Certificate System=7.1
redhat Certificate System=7.2
redhat Certificate System=7.3
Netscape Certificate Management System<=6.2
Netscape Certificate Management System=6.0
Netscape Certificate Management System=6.01
Netscape Certificate Management System=6.1

Event History

May 5, 2008
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·03:54 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jul 7, 2008
CVE Published
via MITRE·11:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·11:00 PM
Description
Data Sourced
11:41 PM
DescriptionWeaknessAffected Software
Free Weekly Intel

Don't miss critical vulnerabilities

Join thousands of security professionals who receive our weekly digest of trending CVEs, zero-days, and exploited vulnerabilities.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2008-1676?

CVE-2008-1676 is considered to have a medium severity level due to improper handling of certificate extensions.

2

How do I fix CVE-2008-1676?

To fix CVE-2008-1676, ensure that your version of the Red Hat Certificate System is updated to the latest patch version.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2008-1676?

CVE-2008-1676 affects Red Hat Certificate System versions 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, as well as various versions of the Netscape Certificate Management System.

4

What are the potential consequences of CVE-2008-1676?

The consequences of CVE-2008-1676 include improperly issued certificates that may not respect the defined constraints, potentially compromising security.

5

Can CVE-2008-1676 be exploited remotely?

CVE-2008-1676 does not specify a remote exploitation vector, but it could lead to the issuance of unauthorized certificates if exploited.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203