CVE-2008-5538
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 · uneditedPrevx Prevx1 2, 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 confidencePrevx1 2 security product fails to detect malware in HTML documents when attackers prepend an MZ header (EXE file marker) to the HTML content and use deceptive filename extensions (.txt, .jpg, or no extension). This allows malicious HTML containing exploits like CVE-2006-5745 to bypass the security product's detection when Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is used.
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= 2CVSS 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 Prevx1 version installationCheck program files for Prevx1 folder or query installed programs registry key for 'Prevx1' or 'Prevx'Affected if Prevx1 version 2 is installed and no updated security solution replaces it
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Confirm Prevx1 real-time scanning is activeOpen Prevx1 interface and verify that real-time/file monitoring is enabled in protection settingsAffected if Real-time scanning is turned on - the bypass applies when the scanner fails to inspect HTML content with MZ prefix
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Inspect HTML files for MZ header prefixUse a hex editor or PowerShell 'Get-Content -Encoding Byte' to examine suspicious .txt, .jpg, or extensionless files - look for '4D 5A' (MZ) bytes at file startAffected if Any HTML files with MZ (EXE) header prefix are present in accessible directories
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Check for deceptive filename extensionsSearch for files with .txt, .jpg, or no extension that contain HTML/script tags when opened as textAffected if Files with non-HTML extensions contain HTML content that could carry exploits like CVE-2006-5745
If Prevx1 version 2 is installed with real-time protection enabled and HTML files with MZ headers can bypass its scanner, the environment is vulnerable to this detection bypass.
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 dataUpgrade from Prevx1 2 to a current endpoint security solution, as this legacy product is likely discontinued and unpatched. Until replacement, employ additional layered defenses such as updated endpoint protection, network filtering, and restricting IE6/7 usage.
- Consultation2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-5538 — 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-2008-5538 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