CVE-2008-0166

HIGH

OpenSSL <0.9.8g-9 - Info Disclosure

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 10 public exploits for CVE-2008-0166. PoCs published by WarCat team, L4teral, Markus Mueller.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit leverages the Debian OpenSSL predictable PRNG vulnerability (CVE-2008-3280) to brute-force SSH private keys. It tests multiple keys against a target host to find a valid one for authentication.

Description

OpenSSL 0.9.8c-1 up to versions before 0.9.8g-9 on Debian-based operating systems uses a random number generator that generates predictable numbers, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct brute force guessing attacks against cryptographic keys.

Exploits (10)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by WarCat team · pythonremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5720

This exploit leverages the Debian OpenSSL predictable PRNG vulnerability (CVE-2008-3280) to brute-force SSH private keys. It tests multiple keys against a target host to find a valid one for authentication.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: OpenSSL (Debian-specific versions affected by CVE-2008-3280)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Pre-generated weak SSH keys from affected Debian systems · Network access to the target SSH service
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb SCANNER VERIFIED
by L4teral · rubyremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5632

This Ruby script tests Debian SSH keys against a target host to identify weak keys generated by a vulnerable OpenSSL version. It uses precomputed keys to check for authentication bypass via SSH.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: OpenSSL (Debian-specific vulnerability, CVE-2008-0166)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Precomputed weak SSH keys · SSH access to target host
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Markus Mueller · textremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5622

This exploit leverages the Debian OpenSSL vulnerability (CVE-2008-0166) where weak SSH keys were generated due to insufficient entropy. The Perl script brute-forces SSH logins using precomputed private keys corresponding to vulnerable public keys.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: OpenSSL on Debian-based systems (pre-patch)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Precomputed SSH private keys · Target system with vulnerable SSH key in authorized_keys
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 410 stars
by g0tmi1k · poc
https://github.com/g0tmi1k/debian-ssh

This repository provides a detailed technical analysis of CVE-2008-0166, a vulnerability in Debian's OpenSSL package where the removal of critical code in md_rand.c led to predictable PRNG seeding, reducing the key space to 32,768 possible values. It includes explanations of the bug, impact, and methods to generate pre-computed keys for exploitation.

Classification
Writeup 100%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: OpenSSL on Debian-based systems (2006-2008)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to vulnerable SSH/SSL keys generated on affected systems
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SUSPICIOUS 9 stars
by demining · poc
https://github.com/demining/Vulnerable-to-Debian-OpenSSL-bug-CVE-2008-0166

The repository claims to exploit CVE-2008-0166 (Debian OpenSSL bug) to generate Bitcoin addresses but lacks actual exploit code. It primarily contains marketing language, external links, and references to external downloads, which are red flags for a suspicious repository.

Classification
Suspicious 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Theoretical
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Bitcoin Core (older versions using OpenSSL 0.9.8)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to vulnerable Bitcoin Core versions · Knowledge of CVE-2008-0166
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 6 stars
by badkeys · poc
https://github.com/badkeys/debianopenssl

This repository provides a detailed technical analysis and blocklist of vulnerable private keys generated due to the Debian OpenSSL bug (CVE-2008-0166). It includes keys affected by predictable random number generation flaws, with explanations of variations based on process ID, architecture, and tooling differences.

Classification
Writeup 100%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Debian/Ubuntu OpenSSL (versions 0.9.8c-1etch3 and earlier)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to a system using vulnerable OpenSSL-generated keys
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec NO CODE 1 stars
by avarx · poc
https://github.com/avarx/vulnkeys
nomisec SUSPICIOUS
by QasimShahbaz21 · poc
https://github.com/QasimShahbaz21/CVE-Exploit-Research-Development

The repository claims to exploit CVE-2008-0166 and CVE-2008-1657 but lacks technical details about the vulnerabilities. Instead, it provides a generic SSH connection script with report generation features, which does not demonstrate exploitation of the specified CVEs.

Classification
Suspicious 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: OpenSSH (claimed, but not demonstrated)
Auth required
Prerequisites: SSH service with known credentials
devstral-2 · analyzed Mar 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SUSPICIOUS
by Faizan8232403 · poc
https://github.com/Faizan8232403/CVE-Exploit-Research-Development

The repository claims to exploit CVE-2008-0166 and CVE-2008-1657 but only contains a generic SSH login script using hardcoded credentials (msfadmin/msfadmin). There is no actual exploit code targeting the vulnerabilities, and the README emphasizes features like report generation rather than technical details of the vulnerabilities.

Classification
Suspicious 90%
Attack Type
Auth Bypass
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: OpenSSH (claimed, but not actually targeted)
Auth required
Prerequisites: SSH service with default credentials (msfadmin/msfadmin)
devstral-2 · analyzed Mar 19, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by AhegaoPsyops · poc
https://github.com/AhegaoPsyops/sslWeakness

This repository contains a functional Python script demonstrating the weak PRNG vulnerability in SSL (CVE-2008-0166) by brute-forcing a 16-bit keyspace. The script highlights the predictability of keys due to insufficient entropy.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: SSL implementations with weak PRNG (e.g., Debian OpenSSL 0.9.8c-1)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Vulnerable SSL implementation with weak PRNG
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →

References (26)

Core 26
Core References
Mailing List, Patch vendor-advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1576
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5622
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30221
Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2008/dsa-1571
Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/29179
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry mailing-list
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/492112/100/0/threaded
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30239
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30220
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-612-7
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30231
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/42375
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30249
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1020017
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5632
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-612-4
Patch, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-612-2
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource third-party-advisory
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-137A.html
Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource third-party-advisory
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/925211
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5720
Broken Link, Vendor Advisory third-party-advisory
http://secunia.com/advisories/30136
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-612-3
Patch, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-612-1

Scores

CVSS v3 7.5
EPSS 0.7072
EPSS Percentile 99.3%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Details

CWE
CWE-338
Status published
Products (6)
canonical/ubuntu_linux 6.06
canonical/ubuntu_linux 7.04
canonical/ubuntu_linux 7.10
canonical/ubuntu_linux 8.04
debian/debian_linux 4.0
openssl/openssl 0.9.8c-1 - 0.9.8g
Published May 13, 2008
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026