CVE-2008-3475

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 does not properly handle errors related to using the componentFromPoint method on xml objects that have been (1) incorrectly initialized or (2) deleted, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML document, aka "Uninitialized Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

Published: 2008-10-15 Last update: 2026-04-23 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2008-3475 is rated High Risk (71.1/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 59.20%, 98th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +1.53% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2008-3475

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-12-28 57.67% 59.20% +1.53%
2 2025-12-27 59.20% 57.67% -1.53%
3 2025-10-28 59.20%

Full EPSS history (23 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2008-3475

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2008-3475

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2008-3475

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft internet_explorer 5.01 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:5.01:sp4:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft internet_explorer 6 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:6:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft internet_explorer 6 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:6:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft internet_explorer 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2008-3475

URL Tags
http://ifsec.blogspot.com/2008/10/internet-explorer-6-componentfrompoint.html Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=122479227205998&w=2 Mailing List
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/497380/100/0/threaded Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/31617 Broken Link Patch Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021047 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA08-288A.html Broken Link Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/2809 Broken Link
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-08-069/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2008/ms08-058 Patch Vendor Advisory
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/45563 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/45565 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A13151 Broken Link
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