CVE-2008-5532
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 · uneditedIkarus Virus Utilities T3.1.1.45.0 and possibly T3.1.1.34.0, 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 confidenceIkarus Virus Utilities fails to detect malware in HTML documents when an MZ header (EXE marker) is placed at the beginning and the filename is given a no extension, .txt, or .jpg extension. This allows attackers to bypass antivirus detection of exploits like CVE-2006-5745 by manipulating file metadata rather than the malicious payload itself.
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= t3.1.1.34.0= t3.1.1.45.0CVSS 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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Verify Ikarus Antivirus is installedCheck the system for Ikarus Antivirus installation. Look for Ikarus process (ikarus.exe or related service) in running processes, or check Program Files for Ikarus folder. Use: tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq ikarus*" on Windows or check installed programs list.Affected if Ikarus Antivirus is present on the system
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Identify installed Ikarus versionOpen Ikarus Antivirus and navigate to About/Help section to view version number. Alternatively, right-click ikarus.exe in the installation directory, select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information.Affected if Installed version matches t3.1.1.34.0 or t3.1.1.45.0 exactly
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Confirm antivirus real-time scanning is enabledCheck Ikarus Antivirus settings to verify real-time file monitoring (on-access scanning) is active. Look for settings labeled 'Real-time protection', 'On-access scanning', or 'File monitor' in the antivirus control panel.Affected if Real-time scanning is enabled and version is affected
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Test file type handling for HTML with manipulated extensionsCreate a test file with no extension, .txt, or .jpg extension containing an MZ header (EXE marker) at the beginning. Attempt to scan this file with Ikarus Antivirus to see if it is detected or ignored.Affected if The antivirus fails to scan or detect malware in files matching these extension patterns (none, .txt, .jpg) when they contain executable headers
User is affected if Ikarus Antivirus version t3.1.1.34.0 or t3.1.1.45.0 is installed and real-time scanning is active, particularly when handling files with no extension, .txt, or .jpg extensions that contain MZ/EXE headers.
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 dataUsers should update to the latest version of Ikarus Virus Utilities or implement compensating controls such as disabling unnecessary file type associations and deploying additional email/web filtering. Since this is 2008-era software likely discontinued, consider migrating to actively maintained antivirus solutions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5532 — 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-2008-5532 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