CVE-2008-5540: Secure Computing Secure Web Gateway (aka Webwasher), when Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is used, allows remote atta

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HIGH 9.3MITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2008-5540 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 9.3) affecting secure web gateway, webwasher. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Secure Computing Secure Web Gateway (aka Webwasher), 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

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.3 (High)
EPSS exploit chance	1.9% (top 20%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-20
Published	2008-12-12
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: secure computing

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

secure computing secure web gateway MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy secure-web-gateway || rpm -q secure-web-gateway || secure-web-gateway --version

No fixed or unaffected release known

Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

secure computing webwasher MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy webwasher || rpm -q webwasher || webwasher --version

No fixed or unaffected release known

Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

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-2008-5540?

secure web gateway: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; webwasher: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2008-5540 being exploited?

CVE-2008-5540 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-2008-5540 affect?

CVE-2008-5540 affects secure web gateway, webwasher. Severity is high (CVSS 9.3). Secure Computing Secure Web Gateway (aka Webwasher), 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

How urgent is CVE-2008-5540?

Priority 53/100. Critical severity

Software pages

Internet Explorer vulnerabilities

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CVE-2022-2310 CRITICAL 10.0 UPGRADE An authentication bypass vulnerability in Skyhigh SWG in main releases 10.x prior to 10.2.12, 9.x prior to 9.2
CVE-2020-9363 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE The Sophos AV parsing engine before 2020-01-14 allows virus-detection bypass via a crafted ZIP archive

References

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