CVE-2008-5523: n/a vulnerability

CVE-2008-5523: avast!

avast! antivirus 4.8.1281.0, 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.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdatedAug 7, 2024, 10:56 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Security readout for executives and security teams

This CVE describes a legacy antivirus detection bypass. A malicious web document could be made to look like a different file type so avast! 4.8.1281.0 missed malware when used with Internet Explorer 6 or 7. Exposure is likely limited to very old endpoints still running avast! antivirus 4.8.1281.0 with Internet Explorer 6 or 7. The provided affected-product metadata is incomplete, so asset validation matters. Treat this as a legacy-exposure cleanup item, not a confirmed emergency. Priority rises sharply if regulated or operational networks still contain IE6/IE7 systems with old avast! antivirus. Mitigation focus: Find and retire avast! 4.8.1281.0 installations where present.; Remove Internet Explorer 6 and 7 from usable browsing paths.; Check Avast/vendor guidance for historical fixes or supported upgrade paths..

Prepared: Jun 28, 2026, 11:41 UTC (UTC+00:00)

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

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2008-5523 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record

Severity: Unknown
CVSS: Not scored
Known Exploited: No
Published: Dec 12, 2008, 18:13 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors

0Timeline events

0ADP providers

2Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
multiple-antivirus-mzheader-code-execution(47435)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus

n/an/an/aListed

Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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