CVE-2008-5533
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 · uneditedK7AntiVirus 7.10.541 and possibly 7.10.454, 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 confidenceK7AntiVirus 7.10.541 (and possibly 7.10.454) fails to properly detect malware in HTML documents when the file has an MZ header (EXE marker) placed at the beginning and uses a misleading filename extension (.txt, .jpg, or no extension). This allows attackers to bypass antivirus detection using CVE-2006-5745 exploits delivered via HTML files with manipulated headers and extensions.
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= 7.10.454= 7.10.541CVSS 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 K7AntiVirus installationCheck if K7AntiVirus is installed on the system by looking in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or scanning installed programs for K7computing productsAffected if K7AntiVirus is present on the system
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Identify installed K7AntiVirus versionOpen K7AntiVirus interface and navigate to About or Help section to view the version number, or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\K7 Computing\K7AntiVirus for the Version valueAffected if Version cannot be determined or is not visible
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Compare version against affected releasesMatch the installed version number against 7.10.454 and 7.10.541 specifically - note that only these two exact versions are listed as affectedAffected if Installed version is exactly 7.10.454 or 7.10.541
User is affected if K7AntiVirus is installed and the exact version matches 7.10.454 or 7.10.541, as these versions contain the flawed detection logic that misses malware in HTML files with MZ headers and misleading extensions.
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 · scopedUsers should update K7AntiVirus to a version where detection logic has been fixed to inspect file content regardless of filename extensions and MZ header placement. Until patched, additional layer of protection (other security tools, updated browsers) should be used.
Latest K7AntiVirus version (post-7.10.541)
- 1. Uninstall K7AntiVirus versions 7.10.454 or 7.10.541
- 2. Download the latest version of K7AntiVirus from the official vendor website (k7computing.com)
- 3. Install the latest version which should include improved malware detection that handles obfuscated HTML documents with MZ headers
- 4. Ensure Internet Explorer is updated to a supported version (IE 8 or later recommended)
- 5. Run a full system scan to verify antivirus is functioning properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5533 — 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-2008-5533 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