CVE-2008-3018
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Office 2000 SP3, XP SP3, and 2003 SP2; Office Converter Pack; and Works 8 do not properly parse the length of a PICT file, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PICT file, aka the "Malformed PICT Filter Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-3021.
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 confidenceThis is a buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office's PICT image file parsing filter. The affected versions (Office 2000 SP3, XP SP3, 2003 SP2, Office Converter Pack, and Works 8) fail to properly validate the length field in PICT files, allowing an attacker to overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code by persuading a user to open a specially crafted PICT file.
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= 2000all versions= 8.0CVSS 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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Check Microsoft Office versionOpen WinWord and go to Help > About, or run 'winword.exe /?' in Command Prompt to see the version numberAffected if Version is 2000, XP (any Service Pack), or 2003 with Service Pack 2 or earlier
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Check Microsoft Office Converter Pack installationOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs), look for 'Microsoft Office Converter Pack' in the installed programs listAffected if Microsoft Office Converter Pack is listed as installed (all versions are affected)
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Check Microsoft Works versionOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate Microsoft Works in the list and note the version, or check the Works installation directory for version infoAffected if Microsoft Works version 8.0 is installed
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Verify PICT filter presenceCheck the Office installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX) for pictfilter.dll or search for files containing 'pict' and 'filter' using Windows SearchAffected if PICT filter DLL (pictfilter.dll) exists in the Office installation folder
A user is affected if they have Microsoft Office 2000/XP/2003 SP2 or earlier, Microsoft Office Converter Pack, or Microsoft Works 8.0, with the PICT image filter component installed.
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 appropriate Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS08-044) or upgrade to a supported Office version. Users should avoid opening untrusted PICT files from unknown sources.
Microsoft Office 2007 or later / Office 365 (as Office 2000/XP/2003 are end-of-life)
- Identify all systems running the affected Microsoft Office versions (2000, XP, 2003), Office Converter Pack, or Works 8.0
- Verify the exact version and Service Pack level on each affected system
- For Office 2000/XP/2003: Upgrade to a supported version such as Microsoft Office 2007 or later, or Office 365
- For Works 8.0: Upgrade to Works 9.0 or migrate to a supported Microsoft Office suite
- After upgrade, verify the PICT file handling is no longer vulnerable
- Deploy the upgraded software through your standard patch management process
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-3018 — 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-2008-3018 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
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