How severe is CVE-2008-5424?

CVE-2008-5424 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2008-5424 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 12% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-5424?

CVE-2008-5424 affects Microsoft Outlook Express. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-5424?

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

When was CVE-2008-5424 published?

CVE-2008-5424 was published on 2008-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-5424

CVE-2008-5424 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook Express with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 12% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-399.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 12% (96th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-399
Affected product: Microsoft Outlook Express
Published: 2008-12-11
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The MimeOleClearDirtyTree function in InetComm.dll in Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.5512 does not properly handle (1) multipart/mixed e-mail messages with many MIME parts and possibly (2) e-mail messages with many "Content-type: message/rfc822;" headers, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a large e-mail message, a related issue to CVE-2006-1173.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-5424?: The MimeOleClearDirtyTree function in InetComm.dll in Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.5512 does not properly handle (1) multipart/mixed e-mail messages with many MIME parts and possibly (2) e-mail messages with many "Content-type: message/rfc822;" headers, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a large e-mail message, a related issue to CVE-2006-1173.
How severe is CVE-2008-5424?: CVE-2008-5424 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2008-5424 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 12% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-5424?: CVE-2008-5424 affects Microsoft Outlook Express. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-5424?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2008-5424 published?: CVE-2008-5424 was published on 2008-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:outlook_express:6.00.2900.5512:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Microsoft Outlook Express

CVE-2004-0380 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The MHTML protocol handler in Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 SP2 through Outlook Express 6 SP1 allows remote attackers…
CVE-1999-0967 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in the HTML library used by Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Windows Explorer via the res: local…
CVE-2010-3147 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Untrusted search path vulnerability in wab.exe 6.00.2900.5512 in Windows Address Book in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and…
CVE-2010-0816 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Integer overflow in inetcomm.dll in Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 SP2, 6, and 6 SP1; Windows Live Mail on Windows XP…
CVE-2007-3897 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Outlook Express 6 and earlier, and Windows Mail for Vista, allows remote…
CVE-2007-4040 — High (CVSS 8.8): Argument injection vulnerability involving Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, when certain URIs are registered,…

All CVEs affecting Microsoft Outlook Express →

Other CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities

CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2015-0339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0335 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0333 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2014-4121 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4, 4.5, 4.5.1, and 4.5.2 does not properly parse internationalized…
CVE-2014-0560 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.12 and 11.x before 11.0.09 on Windows and OS…

Browse all CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities →