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Digital Image SuiteApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-3014

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-09-11
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
Buffer overflow in gdiplus.dll in GDI+ in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 SP1, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Vista Gold and SP1, Server 2008, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP2 and SP3, 2007 Microsoft Office System Gold and SP1, Visio 2002 SP2, PowerPoint Viewer 2003, Works 8, Digital Image Suite 2006, SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services SP2, SQL Server 2005 SP2, Report Viewer 2005 SP1 and 2008, and Forefront Client Security 1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed WMF image file that triggers improper memory allocation, aka "GDI+ WMF Buffer Overrun 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

Buffer overflow in gdiplus.dll in GDI+ allows remote code execution via malformed WMF (Windows Metafile) image files. When Internet Explorer or other affected applications process a specially crafted WMF file, improper memory allocation occurs during parsing, leading to heap-based buffer overflow that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates MS08-052 which addresses this vulnerability across all affected products. Disable WMF file handling in Internet Explorer or restrict file type associations as a temporary workaround until patches are deployed.

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
Digital Image SuiteApplication
Affected:= 2006
Forefront Client SecurityApplication
Affected:= 1.0
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 6
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= xp
Office Powerpoint ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003
Report ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2005= 2008
ServerApplication
Affected:= 2008= 2003
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2005

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. Locate gdiplus.dll on the system
    Search for gdiplus.dll in system directories (C:\Windows\System32\ and C:\Windows\winsxs\) and note the file version property (right-click, Properties, Details tab)
    Affected if The file version is unknown or matches a version released before the MS08-052 patch date (September 2008)
  2. Identify installed Microsoft products that depend on gdiplus.dll
    Check installed programs list or use system inventory tools to identify presence of: Microsoft Office 2003/2007/XP, Internet Explorer 6, Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006, Microsoft Forefront Client Security 1.0, Microsoft Report Viewer 2005/2008, Windows Server 2003/2008, SQL Server 2005
    Affected if Any of these affected products are installed and the gdiplus.dll version is unpatched
  3. Verify WMF file handling is enabled in Internet Explorer
    In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, locate the 'File download' and 'Binary and script behaviors' settings under the Security settings zone used for browsing
    Affected if File downloading is allowed and ActiveX controls/scripts are enabled, allowing WMF files to be processed automatically
  4. Check for recent GDI+ related security updates
    View installed updates via Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command, and look for security update KB954593 or KB955069
    Affected if The MS08-052 security update (KB954593 for most products, KB955069 for some) is NOT installed
  5. Assess exposure through WMF file processing vectors
    Identify if users can receive or open WMF files via: email attachments, web downloads, file shares, or other vectors. Check default file associations for .wmf extension
    Affected if Users can open or automatically process WMF files through any application using GDI+ for rendering

The environment is likely affected if gdiplus.dll is present without the MS08-052 security update AND any affected Microsoft product (Office, IE, etc.) is installed AND WMF file handling is enabled, as the vulnerability triggers during WMF image parsing.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates MS08-052 which addresses this vulnerability across all affected products. Disable WMF file handling in Internet Explorer or restrict file type associations as a temporary workaround until patches are deployed.

Fix this in Digital Image Suite Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2008-3014 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