CVE-2008-0104
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher 2000, 2002, and 2003 SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted .pub file, aka "Publisher Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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 · moderate confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher versions 2000, 2002, and 2003 SP2 allows remote code execution when a user opens a specially crafted malicious .pub file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling during parsing of .pub files, enabling an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
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= 2000= 2003= xpall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Microsoft Publisher is installedCheck Add/Remove Programs (Programs and Features) for Microsoft Publisher, or search for the file pub.exe in the Microsoft Office directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\)Affected if Microsoft Publisher appears in installed programs or pub.exe exists on the system
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Determine the installed Publisher versionRight-click pub.exe, select Properties, and check the Version tab, or open Publisher and go to Help > About Microsoft Office Publisher to view the exact version numberAffected if The version displayed is 2000, 2002, or 2003 (or any version labeled as xp)
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Confirm the vulnerability applies to your specific buildCompare your installed version against the affected ranges: Microsoft Office Publisher = 2000, = 2002, = 2003 SP2, or = xp. Note that the flaw affects all versions of Microsoft Publisher according to the advisory.Affected if Your Publisher version is 2000, 2002, 2003, or xp, or if the vendor advisory lists your specific version as affected
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Check if .pub file handling is enabledAttempt to locate a .pub file on the system or verify that .pub file association exists in Windows Explorer (double-click a .pub file should launch Publisher). Also verify the Publisher application can launch without errors.Affected if The system can open .pub files through Publisher, meaning the file parsing functionality is active and could trigger the vulnerability
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Verify if the security update MS08-027 is missingCheck Windows Update history or the list of installed updates for security bulletin MS08-027 (Microsoft Office Publisher Security Update). Alternatively, check if the specific patch KB950129 for this CVE is installed.Affected if The MS08-027 security update or patch KB950129 is not listed among installed updates, indicating the vulnerability remains unpatched
Your environment is affected if Microsoft Publisher version 2000, 2002, or 2003 is installed and the MS08-027 security update has not been applied, allowing .pub files to be opened on your system.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply the vendor security update from Microsoft for affected Publisher versions, and warn users against opening untrusted .pub files from unknown sources until patches are applied.
Microsoft Office 2016, Office 2019, or Microsoft 365 (currently supported versions)
- 1. Identify the current Microsoft Office Publisher version installed (2000, 2002/Office XP, or 2003)
- 2. For immediate remediation, apply the Microsoft security update MS08-027 (Publisher Security Update) from May 2008
- 3. If running Office Publisher 2000, ensure Service Pack 3 for Office 2000 is installed
- 4. If running Office Publisher 2002 (XP), ensure Service Pack 3 for Office XP is installed
- 5. If running Office Publisher 2003, ensure Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 is installed
- 6. Alternatively and preferably, upgrade to a currently supported Microsoft Office version (Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016) which includes the security fix
- 7. Verify the update was applied successfully via Windows Update or by checking the installed updates list
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-0104 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-0104 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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