CVE-2008-0078
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in an ActiveX control (dxtmsft.dll) in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, 6 SP1 and SP2, and 7 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted image, aka "Argument Handling Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in the dxtmsft.dll ActiveX control in Internet Explorer allows remote code execution via a crafted image due to improper argument handling in the DX Transform filter.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versions= 5.01= 6= 7= 6= 7CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Internet Explorer versionOpen IE, go to Help > About Internet Explorer, or run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer" /v Version' in command promptAffected if Version is 5.01, 6.0, or 7.x (the affected versions listed)
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Locate dxtmsft.dll on the systemSearch for dxtmsft.dll in the Windows\System32 directory or use: dir /s C:\dxtmsft.dllAffected if The file exists (vulnerable ActiveX control is present)
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Verify DX Transform ActiveX control is registeredCheck registry key: HKCR\CLSID\{7C6E0295-7C6E-11D1-8C0F-00C04FC295C1} or run 'reg query HKCR\CLSID' to search for the DX Transform controlAffected if The control is registered in the Windows registry
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Check if ActiveX controls are enabled in Internet ExplorerOpen IE > Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Enable 'Run ActiveX controls and plugins'Affected if ActiveX is enabled (allows the vulnerable control to execute)
User is affected if running IE 5.01, 6, or 7 AND the dxtmsft.dll ActiveX control is present AND ActiveX execution is enabled in the browser settings.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedDisable the vulnerable dxtmsft.dll ActiveX control or apply Microsoft security updates for affected Internet Explorer versions; consider restricting ActiveX execution or deploying updated browser versions.
Internet Explorer 8 or later (with Windows Update for security patches)
- Apply Microsoft Security Update MS08-009 to address the dxtmsft.dll ActiveX control vulnerability in Internet Explorer
- Download MS08-009 from the Microsoft Download Center or via Windows Update
- Restart the affected system after installing the security update
- Verify the update was installed successfully by checking for the patch in Windows Update history
- Consider upgrading to a newer version of Internet Explorer to receive ongoing security support
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0078 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-0078 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data