CVE-2008-0105
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Works 6 File Converter, as used in Office 2003 SP2 and SP3, Works 8.0, and Works Suite 2005, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a .wps file with crafted section header index table information, aka "Microsoft Works File Converter Index Table 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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Works 6 File Converter allows remote code execution when parsing specially crafted .wps files. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of section header index table information in the file parser, which can be exploited to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary code.
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= 2003= 8.0= 2005CVSS 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 for Microsoft Works installationOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for Microsoft Works 8.0 or Microsoft Works 2005 in the installed programs listAffected if Microsoft Works 8.0 or Microsoft Works 2005 is listed as installed
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Check for Microsoft Office 2003 installationOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for Microsoft Office 2003 in the installed programs listAffected if Microsoft Office 2003 is installed (it included the Works File Converter component)
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Locate the Works File Converter componentSearch for files named wkcvx1.dll or wksconverter.exe in the Microsoft Office or Windows system directoriesAffected if The Works File Converter DLL or executable is present on the system
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Verify converter versionRight-click the converter DLL file, select Properties, and check the File Version field against affected version rangesAffected if The converter version matches the unpatched version from 2003-2008 era
The system is affected if Microsoft Works 8.0, Works 2005, or Office 2003 is installed AND the Works File Converter component is present, and the converter has not been patched via MS08-011.
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 · scopedApply the Microsoft security update (MS08-011) to patch the Works File Converter, and avoid opening untrusted .wps files from unknown sources until patches are deployed.
Migrate from Office 2003/Works Suite 2005 to Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2021
- Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-011 patch (KB955428) which addresses this vulnerability in Microsoft Works File Converter
- If MS08-011 is no longer available from Microsoft Update, the affected products (Office 2003 SP2/SP3, Works 8.0, Works Suite 2005) have reached end of support
- Migrate to a currently supported Microsoft Office version (such as Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2021) to receive ongoing security updates
- Ensure Microsoft Defender or an up-to-date antivirus solution is running to provide behavioral detection for suspicious .wps file handling
- Implement network-level filtering to block .wps file attachments from untrusted sources via email or web downloads
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,440.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0105 — 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-2008-0105 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