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Office PowerpointApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2009-1129

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-05-12
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
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the PowerPoint 95 importer (PP7X32.DLL) in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an inconsistent record length in sound data in a file that uses a PowerPoint 95 (PPT95) native file format, aka "PP7 Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2009-1128.

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

Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft PowerPoint's PP7X32.DLL (PowerPoint 95 importer) allows remote code execution through malicious PPT95 files containing sound data with inconsistent record lengths. The vulnerability affects PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3.

MitigationDeploy Microsoft security patches for the affected Office versions; consider blocking or warning on PPT95 files at the enterprise perimeter until patches are applied.

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
Office PowerpointApplication
Affected:= 2000= 2002= 2003

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 PowerPoint version
    Open PowerPoint, go to Help > About Microsoft Office PowerPoint, or check registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\PowerPoint\InstallRoot (versions: 9.0=2000, 10.0=2002, 11.0=2003)
    Affected if Version is 2000, 2002, or 2003 (exact versions 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0)
  2. Locate PP7X32.DLL vulnerability component
    Search for PP7X32.DLL on the system - typically found in the Office installation directory such as C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office{version} (10 for XP/2002, 11 for 2003) or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office{version} on x64 systems
    Affected if PP7X32.DLL exists on the system (this is the PowerPoint 95 importer where the overflow occurs)
  3. Confirm PPT95 import capability is present
    Check if PowerPoint can open legacy PPT95 format files - attempt to open a .ppt file saved in PowerPoint 95 format, or check file type associations for PowerPoint 95 files
    Affected if PowerPoint 95 file import functionality is available and enabled
  4. Check for recent PPT95 file processing
    Review PowerPoint recent documents, enterprise proxy/web logs, or email attachments for evidence of PPT95 format files being received or opened
    Affected if PPT95 files have been received, downloaded, or opened on the system

The environment is affected if PowerPoint 2000, 2002, or 2003 is installed AND the PP7X32.DLL (PowerPoint 95 importer) component exists and PPT95 file import is available.

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

Deploy Microsoft security patches for the affected Office versions; consider blocking or warning on PPT95 files at the enterprise perimeter until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office 2007 or later (Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, Office 2019, or Microsoft 365)

  1. 1. Backup all important PowerPoint files and Office settings
  2. 2. Uninstall Microsoft Office 2000, 2002, or 2003 from the system
  3. 3. Download and install a supported version of Microsoft Office (Office 2007 or later)
  4. 4. During installation, choose a complete installation to ensure all file converters are installed
  5. 5. After installation, verify the PP7X32.DLL version or simply rely on the newer PowerPoint importers which do not contain this vulnerability
  6. 6. Test that PowerPoint files, including any legacy PPT95 files, open correctly
Caveat Legacy PPT95 file format support may be removed in newer versions; test critical PPT95 files before full migration; some old VBA macros and add-ins may require updates

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

Fix this in Office Powerpoint 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-2009-1129 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