CVE-2008-5553: XSS
The XSS Filter in Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2 disables itself upon encountering a certain X-XSS-Protection HTTP header, which allows remote attackers to bypass the XSS protection mechanism and conduct XSS attacks by injecting this header after a CRLF sequence. NOTE: the vendor has reportedly stated that the XSS Filter intentionally does not attempt to "address every conceivable XSS attack scenario."
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Compensating control
At network and application boundaries (WAF, reverse proxy, load balancer, web server), validate and normalize HTTP requests to prevent CRLF injection. Specifically, reject or strip any request header values that contain CRLF sequences and ensure attackers cannot inject an X-XSS-Protection header via CRLF injection so the Internet Explorer XSS Filter cannot be disabled by an injected X-XSS-Protection header.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2008-5553?
CVE-2008-5553 is rated as a medium severity vulnerability due to its ability to bypass XSS protection in Internet Explorer 8.0 Beta 2.
How do I fix CVE-2008-5553?
To fix CVE-2008-5553, users should upgrade to a stable version of Internet Explorer that is not affected by this vulnerability.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2008-5553?
CVE-2008-5553 is classified as a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
Which software is affected by CVE-2008-5553?
CVE-2008-5553 specifically affects Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 Beta 2.
How can attackers exploit CVE-2008-5553?
Attackers can exploit CVE-2008-5553 by injecting a specific X-XSS-Protection HTTP header after a CRLF sequence to disable the XSS filter.