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Digital Image SuiteApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-3013

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-09-11
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
High EPSS 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
gdiplus.dll in GDI+ in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 SP1, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, Server 2008, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP2 and SP3, 2007 Microsoft Office System Gold and SP1, Visio 2002 SP2, PowerPoint Viewer 2003, Works 8, Digital Image Suite 2006, SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services SP2, SQL Server 2005 SP2, Report Viewer 2005 SP1 and 2008, and Forefront Client Security 1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed GIF image file containing many extension markers for graphic control extensions and subsequent unknown labels, aka "GDI+ GIF Parsing 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 confidence

GDI+ (gdiplus.dll) contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its GIF image parser. Attackers craft malformed GIF files containing excessive extension markers for graphic control extensions followed by unknown labels, causing heap overflow that leads to arbitrary code execution when the image is processed by any GDI+-using application (browsers, Office, viewers).

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS08-052 (or subsequent cumulative GDI+ updates) to all affected Microsoft products. Until patched, block GIF file uploads/attachments in web browsers and email gateways, and disable thumbnail preview for image files.

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
Digital Image SuiteApplication
Affected:= 2006
Forefront Client SecurityApplication
Affected:= 1.0
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 6
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= xp
Powerpoint ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003
Report ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2005= 2008
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2005
Sql Server Reporting ServicesApplication
Affected:= 2000

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
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 checks

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

  1. Locate gdiplus.dll on the system
    Search for gdiplus.dll in system directories (C:\Windows\System32\gdiplus.dll and C:\Windows\SysWOW64\gdiplus.dll on 64-bit systems). Right-click the file, select Properties, and note the Version information.
    Affected if The file exists and its version falls within the vulnerable range (versions prior to the MS08-052 security update).
  2. Check Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help > About Internet Explorer, or check Program Files for iexplore.exe version.
    Affected if Version 6 is installed and gdiplus.dll is unpatched.
  3. Check Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), go to Help > About, or check the version in Programs and Features.
    Affected if Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office XP is installed and gdiplus.dll is unpatched.
  4. Check Microsoft SQL Server version
    Open SQL Server Management Studio, run SELECT @@VERSION, or check the installed programs list.
    Affected if SQL Server 2005 is installed and gdiplus.dll is unpatched.
  5. Verify GDI+ parsing of GIF files is accessible
    Confirm that applications can process GIF files - check if users can open or preview GIF images in browsers, Office applications, or image viewers that rely on GDI+.
    Affected if GDI+-using applications can process GIF files and the gdiplus.dll version is unpatched.

The system is affected if gdiplus.dll with a version prior to the MS08-052 update is present AND any affected application (Internet Explorer 6, Office 2003/2007/XP, SQL Server 2005, or other listed products) that uses GDI+ to process GIF files is installed and operational.

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

Apply Microsoft security update MS08-052 (or subsequent cumulative GDI+ updates) to all affected Microsoft products. Until patched, block GIF file uploads/attachments in web browsers and email gateways, and disable thumbnail preview for image files.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Update MS08-052. For end-of-life products (IE6, Office XP, Windows XP), upgrade to supported versions of Windows and Office. SQL Server 2005 should be upgraded to a supported version or at minimum SQL Server 2005 SP3.

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Update MS08-052, which addresses the GDI+ GIF Parsing Vulnerability (CVE-2008-3013). This update is available through Windows Update, Microsoft Update, or the Microsoft Download Center.
  2. For Internet Explorer 6 SP1: Ensure MS08-052 is installed, which updates the gdiplus.dll component.
  3. For Windows XP/Server 2003: Install MS08-052 via Windows Update or manually download from Microsoft Update Catalog.
  4. For Office XP/2003/2007: Install MS08-052 which includes updates for Microsoft Office components.
  5. For SQL Server 2005: Apply MS08-052 or install SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 which includes the security fix.
  6. For Report Viewer 2005/2008: Install MS08-052 to update the affected GDI+ components.
  7. For Forefront Client Security 1.0: Apply MS08-052 or upgrade to a supported endpoint protection solution.
  8. After patching, verify the gdiplus.dll version matches the patched version (6.0.6000.16735 or higher for Vista/Server 2008, or corresponding patched version for other platforms).
Caveat MS08-052 is a critical security patch with no known breaking changes. However, some affected products (IE6, Office XP, Windows XP) are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates, requiring platform migration.

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

Fix this in Digital Image Suite Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2008-3013 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