CVE-2008-0081 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2008-0081
Vulnerability Scoring

9.8
/10
Critical Risk

As a catastrophic security flaw, CVE-2008-0081 has severe implications, demanding immediate intervention.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Network
    Vulnerability is exploitable over a network without physical access.
  • Privileges Required: None
    No privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2008-0081 Details

Status: Deferred

Last updated: 🕧 09 Apr 2025, 00:30 UTC
Originally published on: 🕚 16 Jan 2008, 23:00 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 6292 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

nvd@nist.gov

CVSS3 Type

Primary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE-2008-0081 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2008-0081: Unspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2000 SP3 through 2003 SP2, Viewer 2003, and Office 2004 for Mac allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted macros, aka "Macro Validation Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2007-3490.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2008-0081

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2008-0081 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2008-0081

With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2008-0081 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2008-0081, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2008-0081, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2008-0081 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2008-0081 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2008-0081 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 95.493% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 99.56% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 0.4399999999999977% of others.

CVE-2008-0081 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-908

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2000:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2000:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2002:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2002:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2003:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel:2003:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel_viewer:2003:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:excel_viewer:2003:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2004:*:*:*:*:macos:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2004:*:*:*:*:macos:*:*

Protect Your Infrastructure against CVE-2008-0081: Combat Critical CVE Threats

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