How severe is CVE-2008-5533?

CVE-2008-5533 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2008-5533 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2008-5533?

CVE-2008-5533 primarily affects K7computing Antivirus. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2008-5533?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2008-5533 published?

CVE-2008-5533 was published on 2008-12-12 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2008-5533

CVE-2008-5533 is a critical-severity vulnerability in K7computing Antivirus with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3. 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: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (86th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: K7computing Antivirus
Published: 2008-12-12
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

K7AntiVirus 7.10.541 and possibly 7.10.454, 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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2008-5533?: K7AntiVirus 7.10.541 and possibly 7.10.454, 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.
How severe is CVE-2008-5533?: CVE-2008-5533 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.3, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2008-5533 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2008-5533?: CVE-2008-5533 primarily affects K7computing Antivirus. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2008-5533?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2008-5533 published?: CVE-2008-5533 was published on 2008-12-12 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:k7computing:antivirus:7.10.454:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:k7computing:antivirus:7.10.541:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in K7computing Antivirus

CVE-2017-17701 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): K7Sentry.sys 15.1.0.59 in K7 Antivirus 15.1.0309 has a NULL pointer dereference via a 0x950025c8 DeviceIoControl…
CVE-2017-17700 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): K7Sentry.sys 15.1.0.59 in K7 Antivirus 15.1.0309 has a NULL pointer dereference via a 0x950025a4 DeviceIoControl…
CVE-2017-17699 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): K7Sentry.sys 15.1.0.59 in K7 Antivirus 15.1.0309 has a NULL pointer dereference via a 0x950025ac DeviceIoControl…
CVE-2017-17465 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): K7Sentry.sys 15.1.0.59 in K7 Antivirus 15.1.0309 has a NULL pointer dereference via a 0x95002574 DeviceIoControl…
CVE-2017-17464 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): K7Sentry.sys 15.1.0.59 in K7 Antivirus 15.1.0309 has a NULL pointer dereference via a 0x95002570 DeviceIoControl…
CVE-2017-16554 — High (CVSS 7.8): K7 Antivirus Premium before 15.1.0.53 allows local users to write to arbitrary memory locations, and consequently gain…

All CVEs affecting K7computing Antivirus →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48316 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48281 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48277 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48055 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Streambert is a cross-platform Electron Desktop App to stream and download any video media. In versions 2.4.0 and…
CVE-2026-34910 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit an Improper Input Validation vulnerability found in UniFi OS…
CVE-2026-33587 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Lack of user input sanitisation in Open Notebook v1.8.3 allows the application user to execute Python code (and…

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →