CVE-2009-0947
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 · uneditedMultiple integer overflows in the (1) cdf_read_property_info and (2) cdf_read_sat functions in file before 5.02.
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 confidenceInteger overflows in the cdf_read_property_info and cdf_read_sat functions in the file utility allow attackers to cause heap corruption via specially crafted CDF (Compound Document Format) files, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution.
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< 5.02CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Identify the installed file utility versionRun `file --version` or `file -v` to obtain the version number of the file utilityAffected if The reported version is lower than 5.02 (for example, 5.01, 5.00, or earlier)
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Verify CDF/Office document parsing capabilityRun `file --magic-file` or check if the magic file directory contains CDF-related entries; test with `file -z <some_cdf_file>` to see if it parses Compound Document FormatAffected if The file utility attempts to parse or identify CDF/Office documents (the vulnerable code path is triggered when parsing these files)
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Check for exposure to untrusted CDF inputReview logs or file processing workflows to identify if the file utility processes untrusted CDF or Office document files from external sourcesAffected if Untrusted or user-submitted CDF files are being processed by the file utility
You are affected if the file utility version is below 5.02 AND it processes or analyzes untrusted CDF/Compound Document Format files.
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 · scoped5.02
Upgrade the file utility to version 5.02 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict or disable processing of untrusted CDF/Office document files.
file 5.02 or later
- Update the file package to version 5.02 or later using your system's package manager (e.g., yum update file or apt-get install file)
- Verify the installed version is 5.02 or later by running: file -v
- Restart any services that may cache or use the file command to ensure the patched version is loaded
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0947 — 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-2009-0947 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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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.
- 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