CVE-2004-0839: Internet Explorer in Windows XP SP2, and other versions including 5.01 and 5.5, allows remote attackers to...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2004-0839 is a legacy Internet Explorer issue where a malicious web page could cause an arbitrary program to be placed in a user's Startup folder. If successful, the program could run when the user logs in. The business concern is mainly legacy Windows and Internet Explorer exposure, not modern browsers. Exposure is most likely on unsupported or legacy systems running Internet Explorer on Windows XP SP2 or older IE versions such as 5.01 and 5.5. Modern managed endpoints are unlikely to be exposed unless old IE components or obsolete Windows builds remain in use. Treat this as a legacy-risk cleanup item unless old Windows or Internet Explorer is still present. If legacy browsing systems exist, prioritize remediation because the impact is arbitrary program installation and persistence after login. Mitigation focus: Apply Microsoft MS04-038 or later applicable Internet Explorer cumulative updates.; Retire unsupported Windows and Internet Explorer versions from production use.; Prevent legacy systems from browsing untrusted web content..

Prepared

Jun 30, 2026, 02:43 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.