dbcve.org
OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2009-0549

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-06-10
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
Excel in Microsoft Office 2000 SP3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, and Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; and Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 SP3 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Excel file with a malformed record object, aka "Record Pointer 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

This is a client-side remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Excel where a specially crafted Excel file with a malformed record object causes pointer corruption, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Microsoft Office (2000 SP3 through 2003 SP3, Office 2004/2008 for Mac) and Excel Viewer 2003 SP3.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS09-009 (or subsequent relevant patches) to all affected Office installations, and consider email gateway filtering or user education to block untrusted Excel attachments.

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= xp
Office Compatibility Pack For Word Excel Ppt 2007Application
Affected:all versions
Office ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2000= 2003= 2007
Office Excel ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions= 2003
Office Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2007
Open Xml File Format ConverterApplication
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 installed Excel version
    Open Excel, click Help > About Microsoft Office Excel to view the version number, or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Office Excel
    Affected if The installed version is 2000, 2003, or 2007 (or Office 2004/2008 for Mac)
  2. Check for related vulnerable products
    Review installed programs for Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word/Excel/PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Excel Viewer, or Microsoft Open XML File Format Converter
    Affected if Any of these related products are installed (all listed versions are affected)
  3. Verify security update MS09-009 is applied
    Open Windows Update or check the installed updates list for security update MS09-009 (or subsequent patches addressing this vulnerability)
    Affected if MS09-009 is NOT installed or the Office installation is unpatched for this vulnerability
  4. Confirm SharePoint Server 2007 presence
    Check installed programs or server roles for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 if applicable in your environment
    Affected if SharePoint Server 2007 is installed and not patched for this vulnerability

Your environment is affected if any vulnerable Excel/Office product version (2000, 2003, 2007, 2004, 2008, XP) or related component is installed WITHOUT the MS09-009 security update applied.

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 update MS09-009 (or subsequent relevant patches) to all affected Office installations, and consider email gateway filtering or user education to block untrusted Excel attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Service Pack 2 or later, or migrate to newer Office versions (Office 2010+) which are not affected by this vulnerability

  1. Locate and apply the appropriate Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. For CVE-2009-0549, this was addressed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-009 (Security Update for Microsoft Office Excel). Determine your installed Office version and service pack level using Excel's About section (Help > About Microsoft Office Excel). For Office 2000 SP3, apply update KB968557; for Office XP SP3,
Caveat Patches for older Office versions (2000, XP, 2003) may have compatibility issues with other software; ensure testing in non-production environment before deploying organization-wide

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2009-0549 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