CVE-2008-5508
CVE-2008-5508 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. 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-20.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-20
- Affected product: Mozilla Firefox
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5 and 2.x before 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 does not properly parse URLs with leading whitespace or control characters, which might allow remote attackers to misrepresent URLs and simplify phishing attacks.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2008-5508?
- Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5 and 2.x before 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 does not properly parse URLs with leading whitespace or control characters, which might allow remote attackers to misrepresent URLs and simplify phishing attacks.
- How severe is CVE-2008-5508?
- CVE-2008-5508 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.
- Is CVE-2008-5508 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2008-5508?
- CVE-2008-5508 primarily affects Mozilla Firefox. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2008-5508?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2008-5508 published?
- CVE-2008-5508 was published on 2008-12-17 and last updated on 2026-06-16.
References
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33184
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33188
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33189
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33203
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33204
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33205
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33216
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33231
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33408
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33415
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33421
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33433
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33434
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33523
- http://secunia.com/advisories/33547
- http://secunia.com/advisories/34501
- http://secunia.com/advisories/35080
- http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-256408-1
- http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-258748-1
- http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1696
- http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1697
- http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1704
- http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1707
- http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:244
- http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:245
- http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2009:012
- http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2008/mfsa2008-66.html
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-1036.html
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-1037.html
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-0002.html
Affected products (9)
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:seamonkey:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:thunderbird:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:6.06:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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