CVE-2008-5828
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Windows Live Messenger Client 8.5.1 and earlier, when MSN Protocol Version 15 (MSNP15) is used over a NAT session, allows remote attackers to discover intranet IP addresses and port numbers by reading the (1) IPv4InternalAddrsAndPorts, (2) IPv4Internal-Addrs, and (3) IPv4Internal-Port header fields.
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 confidenceWindows Live Messenger Client 8.5.1 and earlier using MSN Protocol Version 15 (MSNP15) over NAT sessions exposes internal network topology information through specific HTTP-like header fields (IPv4InternalAddrsAndPorts, IPv4Internal-Addrs, IPv4Internal-Port). Remote attackers can parse these headers to discover intranet IP addresses and port numbers, facilitating further network reconnaissance.
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<= 8.5.1= 8.0= 8.1= 8.5CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 Windows Live Messenger installationCheck Program Files for the Windows Live Messenger folder (typically C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger) or look in Add/Remove Programs for Windows Live Messenger entryAffected if Windows Live Messenger is installed on the system
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Identify installed Messenger versionRight-click wl.exe in the Messenger folder, select Properties, then view the Version tab to determine if version is 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, or 8.5.1Affected if Version is 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, or 8.5.1 (any version <= 8.5.1)
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Determine if NAT is in useCheck network configuration to see if the machine is behind a NAT device or router - look for private IP addresses (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, 172.16-31.x.x) on the local network adapterAffected if The system is operating behind a NAT gateway with private addressing
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Capture MSN protocol trafficUse a network packet capture tool (such as Wireshark) to capture traffic on ports 1863, 443, or 80 while Messenger is connecting and communicatingAffected if MSNP15 protocol traffic is observable in network captures
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Inspect for internal address headersIn captured traffic, search for HTTP-like header fields specifically named: IPv4InternalAddrsAndPorts, IPv4Internal-Addrs, or IPv4Internal-PortAffected if These specific headers containing private IP addresses and port numbers appear in the MSN protocol traffic
A system is affected if Windows Live Messenger version 8.0-8.5.1 is installed and actively using MSNP15 protocol while operating behind a NAT, with internal address headers visible in network traffic.
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 dataSince Windows Live Messenger is discontinued, network-level controls such as filtering MSN/MSNP traffic at the firewall/VPN perimeter or implementing application-layer filtering to strip or obfuscate these internal address headers should be deployed.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2008-5828 — 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-2008-5828 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