Format string vulnerability in the window_error function in yelp-window.c in yelp in Gnome after 2.19.90 and before 2.24 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via format string specifiers in an invalid URI on the command line, as demonstrated by use of yelp within (1) man or (2) ghelp URI handlers in Firefox, Evolution, and unspecified other programs.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2008-3533 is rated High Exploit Risk (94/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 19.39%, 97th percentile). Core evidence: 4 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). EPSS rose +6.03% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
| EDB-ID | Source | Kind | Published | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32248 | exploit_db | edb | 2008-08-13 | Exploit-DB ↗ |
| — | nvd_ref | exploit_tag | Exploit-DB ↗ | |
| — | nvd_ref | exploit_tag | Exploit-DB ↗ | |
| — | nvd_ref | exploit_tag | Exploit-DB ↗ |
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-06-15 | 13.37% | 19.39% | +6.03% |
| 2 | 2025-10-08 | 12.74% | 13.37% | +0.63% |
| 3 | 2025-03-30 | — | 12.74% | — |
Full EPSS history (9 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | 2.0 | HIGH |
|
10.0 | 10.0 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
debian
|
low | CVE-2008-3533 low priority: Debian including 1 source packages (yelp), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2008-3533 |
gentoo
|
normal | CVE-2008-3533: 1 GLSA(s) (200809-01), 1 atom(s) (gnome-extra/yelp); latest impact normal. | https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2008-3533 |
redhat
|
high | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-3533 |
ubuntu
|
low | CVE-2008-3533 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (yelp), 5 status rows across 5 suites (dapper, feisty, gutsy, hardy, upstream): not-affected 2, released 2, pending 1. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2008-3533 |
This issue does not affect the versions of the yelp package, as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, 4 and 5.
| URL | Tags |
|---|---|
| http://bugzilla.gnome.org/attachment.cgi?id=115890 | Exploit Issue Tracking |
| http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=546364 | Exploit Issue Tracking Patch |
| http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-11/msg00000.html | Mailing List Third Party Advisory |
| http://secunia.com/advisories/31465 | Vendor Advisory |
| http://secunia.com/advisories/31620 | Vendor Advisory |
| http://secunia.com/advisories/31834 | Vendor Advisory |
| http://secunia.com/advisories/32629 | Vendor Advisory |
| http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:175 | Product |
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/30690 | Third Party Advisory VDB Entry |
| http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-638-1 | Third Party Advisory |
| http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2393 | Broken Link |
| https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/yelp/+bug/254860 | Exploit Patch |
| https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/44449 | VDB Entry |
| https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2008-September/msg00222.html | Mailing List Third Party Advisory |