CVE-2009-0647
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 · uneditedmsnmsgr.exe in Windows Live Messenger (WLM) 2009 build 14.0.8064.206, and other 14.0.8064.x builds, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a modified header in a packet, as possibly demonstrated by a UTF-8.0 value of the charset field in the Content-Type header line. NOTE: this has been reported as a format string vulnerability by some sources, but the provenance of that information is unknown.
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 · moderate confidenceWindows Live Messenger 2009 (builds 14.0.8064.x) crashes when receiving a packet with a modified header containing a specifically crafted UTF-8.0 value in the charset field of the Content-Type header. Some sources suggest this may be a format string vulnerability, though this is unconfirmed.
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= 2009CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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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Confirm Windows Live Messenger 2009 is installedOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check Program Files folder for Windows Live Messenger installation directoryAffected if Windows Live Messenger 2009 appears in installed programs or the installation directory exists
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Identify the installed version and build numberRight-click wlms.exe in the Windows Live Messenger program folder, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information; or right-click the application in Programs and Features and select Properties to view the versionAffected if Version starts with 14.0.8064 (any minor release within this build range)
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Verify the application is configured to run at startup or manually launchedCheck Task Manager for running wlms.exe process, or check startup entries in msconfig or the registry Run key for WindowsLiveMessengerAffected if The Windows Live Messenger executable is set to run automatically or is actively running on the system
A system is affected if Windows Live Messenger 2009 (build 14.0.8064.x) is installed and configured to run, as the vulnerability triggers upon receiving a crafted network packet with the specific UTF-8.0 charset field in the Content-Type header.
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.
From vendor dataWindows Live Messenger was discontinued in 2014 and no longer receives security updates; organizations should migrate to supported messaging platforms as no vendor patch is available for this vulnerability.
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- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0647 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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