How severe is CVE-2008-5313?

CVE-2008-5313 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.9, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2008-5313 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (22nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-5313?

CVE-2008-5313 primarily affects Mailscanner. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-5313?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2008-5313 published?

CVE-2008-5313 was published on 2008-12-03 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-5313

CVE-2008-5313 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mailscanner with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-59.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 6.9)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (22nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-59
Affected product: Mailscanner
Published: 2008-12-03
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

mailscanner 4.68.8 and other versions before 4.74.16-1 might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on certain temporary files used by the (1) f-prot-autoupdate, (2) clamav-autoupdate, (3) avast-autoupdate, and (4) f-prot-6-autoupdate scripts in /etc/MailScanner/autoupdate/; the (5) bitdefender-wrapper, (6) kaspersky-wrapper, (7) clamav-wrapper, and (8) rav-wrapper scripts in /etc/MailScanner/wrapper/; the (9) Quarantine.pm, (10) TNEF.pm, (11) MessageBatch.pm, (12) WorkArea.pm, and (13) SA.pm scripts in /usr/share/MailScanner/MailScanner/; (14) /usr/sbin/MailScanner; and (15) scripts that load the /etc/MailScanner/mailscanner.conf.with.mcp configuration file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-5313?: mailscanner 4.68.8 and other versions before 4.74.16-1 might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on certain temporary files used by the (1) f-prot-autoupdate, (2) clamav-autoupdate, (3) avast-autoupdate, and (4) f-prot-6-autoupdate scripts in /etc/MailScanner/autoupdate/; the (5) bitdefender-wrapper, (6) kaspersky-wrapper, (7) clamav-wrapper, and (8) rav-wrapper scripts in /etc/MailScanner/wrapper/; the (9) Quarantine.pm, (10) TNEF.pm, (11) MessageBatch.pm, (12) WorkArea.pm, and (13) SA.pm scripts in /usr/share/MailScanner/MailScanner/; (14) /usr/sbin/MailScanner; and (15) scripts that load the /etc/MailScanner/mailscanner.conf.with.mcp configuration file.
How severe is CVE-2008-5313?: CVE-2008-5313 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 6.9, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2008-5313 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (22nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-5313?: CVE-2008-5313 primarily affects Mailscanner. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-5313?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2008-5313 published?: CVE-2008-5313 was published on 2008-12-03 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.68.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.68.8-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.69.9-3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.70.7-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.71.10-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.72.5-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mailscanner:mailscanner:4.73.4-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Mailscanner

CVE-2005-3470 — High (CVSS 7.5): SQL injection vulnerability in in the authenticate function in MailWatch for MailScanner 1.0.2 allows remote attackers…
CVE-2005-1706 — High (CVSS 7.5): Unknown vulnerability in MailScanner 4.41.3 and earlier, related to "incomplete reporting of viruses in zip files,"…
CVE-2008-5312 — Medium (CVSS 6.9): mailscanner 4.55.10 and other versions before 4.74.16-1 might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a…
CVE-2002-2228 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): MailScanner before 4.0 5-1 and before 3.2 6-1 allows remote attackers to bypass protection via attachments with a…
CVE-2010-3292 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): The update{_bad,}_phishing_sites scripts in mailscanner 4.79.11-2 downloads files and trusts them without using…
CVE-2010-3293 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): mailscanner can allow local users to prevent virus signatures from being updated

All CVEs affecting Mailscanner →

Other CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (Link Following)) vulnerabilities

CVE-2024-37143 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Dell PowerFlex appliance versions prior to IC 46.381.00 and IC 46.376.00, Dell PowerFlex rack versions prior to RCM…
CVE-2024-28189 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Judge0 is an open-source online code execution system. The application uses the UNIX chown command on an untrusted file…
CVE-2024-28185 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Judge0 is an open-source online code execution system. The application does not account for symlinks placed inside the…
CVE-2022-22995 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The combination of primitives offered by SMB and AFP in their default configuration allows the arbitrary writing of…
CVE-2014-4480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Directory traversal vulnerability in afc in AppleFileConduit in Apple iOS before 8.1.3 and Apple TV before 7.0.3 allows…
CVE-2002-2374 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in pprosetup in Sun PatchPro 2.0 has unknown impact and attack vectors related to "unsafe use…

Browse all CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (Link Following)) vulnerabilities →