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CVE-2008-5556

4.3 · MEDIUM

The XSS Filter in Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2 does not recognize attack patterns designed to operate against web pages that are encoded with utf-7, which allows remote attackers to bypas…

Published Dec 12, 2008microsoftCWE-79EPSS 11.22%

Overview

CVE-2008-5556 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting microsoft internet_explorer. It was published on December 12, 2008 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

The XSS Filter in Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2 does not recognize attack patterns designed to operate against web pages that are encoded with utf-7, which allows remote attackers to bypass the XSS protection mechanism and conduct XSS attacks by injecting crafted utf-7 content. NOTE: the vendor reportedly disputes this issue, stating "Behaviour is by design.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from microsoft. Update internet_explorer to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus

References

Refwww.securityfocus.com/archive/1/499124/100/0/threadedRefexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/47277Refwww.securityfocus.com/archive/1/499124/100/0/threadedRefexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/47277

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-5556?

CVE-2008-5556 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting microsoft internet_explorer. It was published on December 12, 2008 and has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2008-5556?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2008-5556?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from microsoft. Update internet_explorer to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2008-5556?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2008-5556 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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