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Visual Studio .netApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2007-0025

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-02-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The MFC component in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, and 2003 SP1 and Visual Studio .NET 2000, 2002 SP1, 2003, and 2003 SP1 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an RTF file with a malformed OLE object that triggers memory corruption. NOTE: this might be due to a stack-based buffer overflow in the AfxOleSetEditMenu function in MFC42u.dll.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in MFC's AfxOleSetEditMenu function (MFC42u.dll) allows remote code execution via RTF files containing malformed OLE objects. The stack-based buffer overflow can be triggered when users open specially crafted RTF files, leading to arbitrary code execution with user privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS07-023 and related patches for this CVE). Until patched, avoid opening untrusted RTF files and disable OLE object embedding in Office applications. Consider upgrading from unsupported Windows versions (2000, XP SP2, 2003 SP1).

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Visual Studio .netApplication
Affected:= 2000= 2003
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:= 2000= 2003= xp_sp2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check system properties to determine if the system is Windows 2000, Windows XP SP2, or Windows Server 2003.
    Affected if The installed Windows version is 2000, XP SP2, or Server 2003 (any build).
  2. Locate and check MFC42u.dll version
    Search for MFC42u.dll in the system (common paths: C:\Windows\System32\, C:\Windows\SysWOW64\, or Visual Studio installation directories). Right-click the file, select Properties, and note the File Version.
    Affected if The DLL version is older than the version that includes the MS07-023 fix, or the file exists and you cannot confirm it has been patched.
  3. Verify if RTF files with OLE objects can be opened
    Attempt to open a test RTF file containing an embedded OLE object (such as an embedded Excel or Word object) using Microsoft Word or WordPad.
    Affected if RTF files with embedded OLE objects open successfully, indicating the vulnerable code path is accessible.
  4. Check for security update MS07-023
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' from command prompt, and search for update KB924191 or MS07-023.
    Affected if The security update KB924191 (MS07-023) is NOT installed.

The system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows 2000, XP SP2, or Server 2003 with a vulnerable MFC42u.dll version and has the ability to open RTF files containing OLE objects.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates (MS07-023 and related patches for this CVE). Until patched, avoid opening untrusted RTF files and disable OLE object embedding in Office applications. Consider upgrading from unsupported Windows versions (2000, XP SP2, 2003 SP1).

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a currently supported Windows version (Windows 7 or later for desktop, Windows Server 2008 R2 or later for servers) and Visual Studio .NET 2008 or later

  1. Navigate to the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-023 page at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2007/ms07-023
  2. Download the security update specific to your affected Windows version (Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2, or Windows 2003 SP1)
  3. Apply the security update by running the downloaded executable as an administrator
  4. Restart the affected system if prompted to complete the installation
  5. Verify the update was installed successfully by checking the installed updates in Add or Remove Programs
Caveat Upgrading from Windows 2000/XP/2003 may require hardware compatibility checks and application re-testing; Visual Studio .NET 2003 projects may need migration to newer .NET Framework versions

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Visual Studio .net Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-0025 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data