CVE-2008-1093
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 · uneditedAcresso InstallShield Update Agent does not properly verify the authenticity of Rule Scripts obtained from GetRules.asp web pages on FLEXnet Connect servers, which allows remote man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary VBScript code via Trojan horse Rules.
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 confidenceThe InstallShield Update Agent fetches rule scripts from GetRules.asp pages on FLEXnet Connect servers without properly validating their authenticity. This allows remote attackers performing man-in-the-middle attacks to inject malicious VBScript code into the rule scripts, which then executes with elevated privileges on victim machines.
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 versionsall versionsCVSS 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.
-
Verify if InstallShield Update Agent or Flexnet Connect is installedCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'InstallShield', 'Flexnet', 'Acresso', or 'Update Agent'. Also check Program Files for folders named 'InstallShield', 'Flexnet Connect', or 'Acresso'.Affected if Either Acresso Flexnet Connect or InstallShield Update Agent is found installed on the system
-
Check if the Update Agent service or scheduled task is presentView services list (services.msc) for 'InstallShield Update Service' or similar. Check Task Scheduler for tasks related to 'InstallShield', 'Flexnet', or 'Acresso' update operations.Affected if The Update Agent service or scheduled task exists and is enabled
-
Inspect Flexnet Connect client configurationLook for flexnet*.xml or installshield*.xml configuration files in the installation directory and in %APPDATA% or %PROGRAMDATA% folders. Check for <GetRules> or similar URL entries pointing to remote rule script locations.Affected if Configuration files contain URLs to remote GetRules.asp endpoints indicating the update feature is configured
-
Check for active network connections to Flexnet Connect serversUse netstat -ano or Process Monitor to detect outbound connections from InstallShield update processes to Flexnet server domains, or inspect proxy/logging configuration that shows update traffic.Affected if The system is configured to fetch rule scripts from remote FLEXnet Connect servers
A system is affected if Acresso Flexnet Connect or InstallShield Update Agent is installed and the update/rule-fetching feature is enabled or configured to communicate with remote servers.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches from Acresso for the InstallShield Update Agent that implement proper code signing and certificate validation for rule scripts, or disable the update agent if unnecessary and remove it from systems.
- Consultation2.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-1093 — 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-2008-1093 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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