CVE-2008-5525
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 · uneditedClamAV 0.94.1 and possibly 0.93.1, when Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is used, allows remote attackers to bypass detection of malware in an HTML document by placing an MZ header (aka "EXE info") at the beginning, and modifying the filename to have (1) no extension, (2) a .txt extension, or (3) a .jpg extension, as demonstrated by a document containing a CVE-2006-5745 exploit.
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 confidenceClamAV 0.94.1 and earlier versions fail to detect malware embedded in HTML documents when an MZ header (EXE info) is placed at the beginning of the file and the filename is modified to have no extension, a .txt extension, or a .jpg extension. This allows remote attackers to bypass antivirus detection when the malicious HTML is accessed via Internet Explorer 6 or 7, as demonstrated with a CVE-2006-5745 exploit.
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= 0.93.1= 0.94.1CVSS 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 ClamAV versionRun 'clamd --version' or 'clamscan --version' to determine the installed versionAffected if The version is 0.93.1 or 0.94.1 exactly
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Confirm HTML scanning engine is activeVerify that clamd or clamscan has HTML parsing enabled; check clamd.conf for 'ScanHTML' directive or test with a known benign HTML fileAffected if HTML scanning is enabled and the ClamAV version is 0.93.1 or 0.94.1
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Test detection of HTML with embedded MZ headerCreate or obtain a test HTML file with an MZ (EXE) header prepended and a .txt or .jpg extension, then scan with 'clamscan --detect-pua=yes <file>'Affected if ClamAV version 0.93.1 or 0.94.1 fails to detect the MZ-header HTML file as malicious
A user is affected if they are running ClamAV version 0.93.1 or 0.94.1 and the scanner fails to detect HTML files containing MZ headers with .txt, .jpg, or no extension.
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 · scopedUpgrade ClamAV to a version beyond 0.94.1 that properly detects HTML files containing MZ headers and obfuscated exploit code.
Latest stable ClamAV release (currently 0.10x series or later)
- 1. Visit the official ClamAV download page at https://www.clamav.net/downloads to obtain the latest stable release
- 2. Download the appropriate installer/package for your operating system
- 3. Stop the ClamAV daemon or service before upgrading
- 4. Install the new version, ensuring to preserve your existing configuration files (clamd.conf, freshclam.conf)
- 5. Verify the installed version using 'clamd --version' or 'clamscan --version'
- 6. Start the ClamAV daemon or service
- 7. Update signature databases using 'freshclam' to ensure latest detection signatures are available
- 8. Test with a sample detection to confirm proper operation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5525 — 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-2008-5525 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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- 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