CVE-2008-0550: Steamcast off-by-one in HTTP header handling allows remote code execution

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 20 September 2026. Confidence: medium.

high priorityThe vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication and can lead to code execution, but it affects an old, likely niche product and no KEV listing or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation is documented.

What it is

Steamcast 0.9.75 and earlier contains an off-by-one error in its handling of HTTP requests, demonstrated via an overly long User-Agent header, that leads to a buffer overflow. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can crash the daemon or potentially execute arbitrary code on the host.

Impact

An attacker can cause a denial of service by crashing the Steamcast daemon, or achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the service, giving full control of the affected process and host.

Attack surface

The flaw is reachable over the network through the HTTP service Steamcast exposes; no authentication or user interaction is required, as the CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N confirms.

Exploitation

Public exploit references are tagged Exploit and EPSS estimates a 30-day exploitation probability of roughly 0.54 (99th percentile), though the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV.

What to do

• Upgrade Steamcast to a version later than 0.9.75, or remove the product if no fixed release exists.
• If upgrade is not possible, restrict network access to the Steamcast HTTP port to trusted sources only.
• Place the service behind a reverse proxy or WAF that rejects abnormally long HTTP headers such as oversized User-Agent values.
• Run the Steamcast daemon with least privilege and in a sandboxed or segmented environment to limit impact of code execution.
• Monitor vendor and community advisories for a patched release and apply it as soon as available.

Detection

• Inspect HTTP request logs for unusually long User-Agent or other header values targeting the Steamcast service.
• Monitor for Steamcast daemon crashes or unexpected process restarts that could indicate exploitation attempts.
• Watch for anomalous child processes or outbound connections originating from the Steamcast process.
• Use network IDS signatures for known Steamcast overflow exploit traffic if available.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.