CVE-2008-5534
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 · uneditedESET NOD32 Antivirus 3662 and possibly 3440, 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 confidenceESET NOD32 Antivirus versions 3662 and possibly 3440 fail to detect malware embedded in HTML documents when those documents contain an MZ header (EXE marker) at the beginning and use a filename with no extension, a .txt extension, or a .jpg extension. This allows attackers to bypass antivirus scanning and deliver exploits like CVE-2006-5745 undetected.
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= 3440= 3662CVSS 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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Confirm ESET NOD32 is installedCheck for ESET NOD32 in the list of installed programs (Control Panel > Programs and Features) or look for the ESET installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\ESET\ESET NOD32 Antivirus)Affected if ESET NOD32 Antivirus is not installed on the system
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Identify the installed ESET NOD32 versionIn Programs and Features, locate ESET NOD32 Antivirus and note the version number displayed, or check the version info in the ESET program folderAffected if The installed version is exactly 3440 or exactly 3662
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Verify the scanning engine versionOpen the ESET NOD32 interface, navigate to Help and Support or About, and record the scanning engine and program version numbersAffected if The program version shows 3440 or 3662 specifically, indicating an unpatched installation
The system is affected if ESET NOD32 Antivirus version 3440 or 3662 is installed, as these versions fail to detect malware with MZ headers in HTML files using no extension, .txt, or .jpg 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.
From vendor dataOrganizations should update ESET NOD32 to the latest version incorporating vendor patches for this detection bypass, and exercise caution when opening HTML files with unusual or missing extensions from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5534 — 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-2008-5534 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
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