CVE-2008-1544
The setRequestHeader method of the XMLHttpRequest object in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, 6, and 7 does not block dangerous HTTP request headers when certain 8-bit character sequences are appended to a header name, which allows remote attackers to (1) conduct HTTP request splitting and HTTP request smuggling attacks via an incorrect Content-Length header, (2) access arbitrary virtual hosts via a modified Host header, (3) bypass referrer restrictions via an incorrect Referer header, and (4) bypass the same-origin policy and obtain sensitive information via a crafted request header.
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 7.1 (v2.0)
- Severity
- HIGH
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-20
- EPSS score
- 26.3% (98th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2008-1545)
- Published
- March 28, 2008
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2008-1545 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 7, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / windows 2000
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows server 2008
- microsoft / windows server 2008
- microsoft / windows server 2008
- microsoft / windows vista
- microsoft / windows vista
- microsoft / windows vista
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
References
- http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=121380194923597&w=2
- http://secunia.com/advisories/29453(Vendor Advisory)
- http://securityreason.com/securityalert/3785
- http://www.mindedsecurity.com/MSA02240108.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/489954/100/0/threaded
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/28379(Patch)
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1020226
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-162B.html(US Government Resource)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/0980(Vendor Advisory)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/1778(Vendor Advisory)
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2008/ms08-031
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A5291
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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