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Windows MessengerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-0082

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-08-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An ActiveX control (Messenger.UIAutomation.1) in Windows Messenger 4.7 and 5.1 is marked as safe-for-scripting, which allows remote attackers to control the Messenger application, and "change state," obtain contact information, and establish audio or video connections without notification via unknown vectors.

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 confidence

An ActiveX control (Messenger.UIAutomation.1) in Windows Messenger versions 4.7 and 5.1 is marked as 'safe-for-scripting', allowing malicious web pages or HTML emails to programmatically control the Messenger client, retrieve contact list information, change user status, and initiate audio/video sessions without any user interaction or notification.

MitigationDeploy the Microsoft kill bit for this ActiveX control via registry or group policy to prevent it from being instantiated in Internet Explorer, or remove Windows Messenger from affected systems.

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 data
Windows MessengerApplication
Affected:= 4.7= 5.1

CVSS 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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Windows Messenger is installed
    Look for Windows Messenger in Add/Remove Programs (appwiz.cpl), or check for the executable at C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe, or query the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Messenger\Server\Components
    Affected if Windows Messenger is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Windows Messenger version
    Right-click msmsgs.exe and select Properties, then view the Version tab, or use the command: msmsgs.exe /? to display version information
    Affected if The version reports as exactly 4.7 or 5.1
  3. Verify the vulnerable ActiveX control exists
    Check the Windows registry under HKCR\CLSID for a CLSID entry containing 'Messenger.UIAutomation.1', or search the registry for the string 'Messenger.UIAutomation.1' using regedit
    Affected if The ActiveX control Messenger.UIAutomation.1 is registered in the system
  4. Confirm the control is marked safe-for-scripting
    Check the registry key HKCR\CLSID\{CLSID}\Implemented Categories\{7DD95801-9882-11CF-9FA9-00AA006C42C4} where {CLSID} is the class identifier for Messenger.UIAutomation.1, or examine the component category registration for the 'safe for scripting' category
    Affected if The control is registered in the 'safe for scripting' component category, meaning Internet Explorer can instantiate it without prompts

A system is affected if Windows Messenger version 4.7 or 5.1 is installed AND the Messenger.UIAutomation.1 ActiveX control is registered and marked as safe-for-scripting in the registry.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Deploy the Microsoft kill bit for this ActiveX control via registry or group policy to prevent it from being instantiated in Internet Explorer, or remove Windows Messenger from affected systems.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Migrate to Microsoft Teams or other supported modern messaging solution (Windows Messenger is discontinued with no fixed version)

  1. 1. Discontinue use of Windows Messenger 4.7 or 5.1 as it is end-of-life and contains unpatchable vulnerabilities.
  2. 2. Migrate to a supported Microsoft messaging platform such as Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business.
  3. 3. If legacy dependencies exist, disable the Messenger.UIAutomation.1 ActiveX control in Internet Explorer by setting the Kill Bit via registry: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\ and create a key with CLSID {B69003B3-C55E-4B48-836A-C50C68F51C18} with a value of 'Compatibility Flags' = 0x00000400.
  4. 4. Alternatively, disable ActiveX controls entirely in Internet Explorer via Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Enable 'Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe' = Disable.
Caveat Migration to modern platforms may require user retraining and infrastructure changes; legacy Windows Messenger features may not have direct equivalents

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows Messenger Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-0082 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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