dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2008-2249

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-12-10
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
Integer overflow in GDI in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, and Server 2008 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed header in a crafted WMF file, which triggers a buffer overflow, aka "GDI Integer Overflow 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 · high confidence

This is an integer overflow vulnerability in the Windows GDI (Graphics Device Interface) component. When processing a WMF (Windows Metafile) image with a malformed header, the integer overflow leads to a buffer overflow that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code remotely.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security patch (MS08-021) to all affected Windows systems. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted or unknown WMF files and consider disabling WMF file handling as a workaround.

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
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions= gold
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions

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 Windows version
    Run 'winver' command or check System Properties to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if Version is Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Vista (any build)
  2. Check if MS08-021 patch is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command, and search for security update KB948745 or MS08-021
    Affected if The security update KB948745 (MS08-021) is NOT installed on the system
  3. Verify GDI exposure to WMF files
    Check if the system has applications that can process WMF files (e.g., image viewers, document readers, web browsers) and whether users may open WMF files from untrusted sources
    Affected if Users can open or receive untrusted WMF files and the system lacks the MS08-021 patch

The system is affected if it runs any unpatched Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Server 2008/Vista version and processes WMF files from potentially untrusted sources.

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 the relevant Microsoft security patch (MS08-021) to all affected Windows systems. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted or unknown WMF files and consider disabling WMF file handling as a workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-021 patches for your specific Windows version; for Windows versions no longer supported, consider upgrading to a currently supported Windows release (e.g., Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2019/2022)

  1. Locate and apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-021, which addresses the GDI Integer Overflow Vulnerability (CVE-2008-2249)
  2. For Windows 2000 SP4: Apply security update from MS08-021
  3. For Windows XP SP2 or SP3: Apply security update from MS08-021
  4. For Windows Server 2003 SP1 or SP2: Apply security update from MS08-021
  5. For Windows Vista Gold or SP1: Apply security update from MS08-021
  6. For Windows Server 2008: Apply security update from MS08-021
  7. Restart the system after applying the update
  8. Verify the update was successfully installed via Windows Update or the installed updates list
Caveat MS08-021 patches for legacy systems may have compatibility issues with older applications; ensure testing before deployment in production environments

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

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2008-2249 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