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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2008-4024

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
Microsoft Office Word 2000 SP3 and 2002 SP3 and Office 2004 for Mac allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Word document with a crafted lcbPlcfBkfSdt field in the File Information Block (FIB), which bypasses an initialization step and triggers an "arbitrary free," aka "Word 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 · high confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Word (2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2004 for Mac) where a crafted lcbPlcfBkfSdt field in the File Information Block (FIB) bypasses an initialization step, triggering an 'arbitrary free' that can lead to arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious Word document.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for affected Word versions; avoid opening untrusted Word documents; enable Protected View or sandboxing as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Office Compatibility Pack For Word Excel Ppt 2007Application
Affected:all versions
Office Word ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2003
Open Xml File Format ConverterApplication
Affected:all versions
WorksApplication
Affected:= 8.0
Office OutlookApplication
Affected:= 2007
Office WordApplication
Affected:= 2000= 2002= 2003= 2007

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 installed Microsoft Office Word version
    Open Word, go to Help > About Microsoft Office Word, or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Office installations. Compare the version number against the affected versions: Word 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2004 for Mac, 2008, or the Compatibility Pack, Word Viewer, Open XML File Format Converter, Works 8.0, or Office Outlook 2007.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE.
  2. Determine if Word processes external documents
    Check if the system routinely opens Word documents from email attachments, downloads, or network shares. Review user's workflow or document handling patterns.
    Affected if The user opens Word documents from untrusted or external sources, which is required to trigger the vulnerability.
  3. Verify if Protected View or sandboxing is enabled
    In Word, go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View. Check whether all Protected View options are enabled, or verify if third-party sandboxing or antivirus email scanning is active.
    Affected if Protected View and additional defenses are disabled or not present, leaving the system more vulnerable to malicious document parsing.
  4. Confirm presence of security updates
    Check Windows Update history or the installed updates list for Microsoft security updates released after October 2008 (the patch month for CVE-2008-4024), or compare the installed Word version against the vulnerable versions.
    Affected if The system lacks the October 2008 security update for the installed Word version and remains on an affected version.

A user is affected if they have an unpatched version of Word from the affected list installed AND routinely open Word documents from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability requires parsing a maliciously crafted document.

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 for affected Word versions; avoid opening untrusted Word documents; enable Protected View or sandboxing as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-072: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2008/ms08-072
  2. For Office Word 2000: Install Security Update KB957173
  3. For Office Word 2002: Install Security Update KB957174
  4. For Office Word 2003: Install Security Update KB957175
  5. For Office Word 2007: Install Security Update KB958372
  6. For Office 2004 for Mac: Apply security update available from Microsoft AutoUpdate
  7. For Office 2008 for Mac: Apply security update available from Microsoft AutoUpdate
  8. For Office Compatibility Pack: Install the applicable security update for your version

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2008-4024 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