CVE-2008-5539: RISING Antivirus 21.06.31.00 and possibly 20.61.42.00, when Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is used, allows remote at

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HIGH 9.3DOWNGRADE

CVE-2008-5539 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 9.3) affecting rising antivirus. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

RISING Antivirus 21.06.31.00 and possibly 20.61.42.00, 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.

Why this priority

Critical severity
EPSS top 4%: very likely to be exploited

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.3 (High)
EPSS exploit chance	10.3% (top 4%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-20
Published	2008-12-12
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: rising-global

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2008-12-12 18:30 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 23:00 UTCUpdated Record last modified

rising-global rising antivirus DOWNGRADE

Affected: 20.61.42.00 · 21.06.31.00

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 20.61.42.00

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy rising-antivirus || rpm -q rising-antivirus || rising-antivirus --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 20.61.42.00 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison rising-antivirus sudo apt install rising-antivirus=<VERSION_BEFORE_20.61.42.00> sudo apt-mark hold rising-antivirus

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list rising-antivirus sudo dnf downgrade rising-antivirus-<VERSION_BEFORE_20.61.42.00> sudo dnf versionlock add rising-antivirus

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2008-5539?

rising antivirus: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2008-5539 being exploited?

CVE-2008-5539 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2008-5539 affect?

CVE-2008-5539 affects rising antivirus. Severity is high (CVSS 9.3). RISING Antivirus 21.06.31.00 and possibly 20.61.42.00, 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 modifyin

How urgent is CVE-2008-5539?

Priority 56/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 4%: very likely to be exploited

Software pages

Internet Explorer vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2012-1455 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The CAB file parser in NOD32 Antivirus 5795 and Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03 allows remote attackers to bypass
CVE-2012-1454 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The ELF file parser in Dr.Web 5.0.2.03300, eSafe 7.0.17.0, McAfee Gateway (formerly Webwasher) 2010.1C, Rising
CVE-2012-1449 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The CAB file parser in NOD32 Antivirus 5795 and Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03 allows remote attackers to bypass
CVE-2012-1445 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The ELF file parser in eSafe 7.0.17.0, Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, and Panda A
CVE-2012-1439 MEDIUM 4.3 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE The ELF file parser in eSafe 7.0.17.0, Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, and Panda A

References

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