CVE-2009-0238
Microsoft Office Excel contains a remote code execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take complete control of an affected system if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file that includes a malformed object.
Microsoft Office Excel 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1; Excel Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; Excel Viewer; Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1; and Excel in Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Excel document that triggers an access attempt on an invalid object, as exploited in the wild in February 2009 by Trojan.Mdropper.AC.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2658Broken Link
- isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5923Press/Media Coverage
- securitytracker.com/id?1021744Broken Link
- microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/968272.mspxVendor Advisory
- securityfocus.com/bid/33870Broken Link
- symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-022310-4202-99Broken Link
- us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-104A.htmlUS Government Resource
- vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1023Broken Link
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-009Vendor Advisory
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/48875Third Party Advisory
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A5968Broken Link
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0238US Government Resource
Actively exploited. Patch immediately.
- Exploitation
- Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
- Federal remediation deadline
- Overdue by 182 days
- CVSS
- 8.8 HIGH
- EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
- 42.9% · top 1% of all CVEs
- Weakness
- CWE-94
- Attack vector
- Network, remotely reachable
- 1.Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
- 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
- 3.Review exposure: confirm which instances are reachable from the internet and restrict access until patched.
- 4.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.