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DirectxApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2009-1538

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-07-15
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
The QuickTime Movie Parser Filter in quartz.dll in DirectShow in Microsoft DirectX 7.0 through 9.0c on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, and Windows Server 2003 SP2 performs updates to pointers without properly validating unspecified data values, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted QuickTime media file, aka "DirectX Pointer Validation 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

The QuickTime Movie Parser Filter in quartz.dll (DirectShow) has a pointer validation vulnerability where the filter updates pointers without properly validating data values. This allows remote code execution when users open specially crafted QuickTime media files.

MitigationApply Microsoft Security Update KB969883 (or subsequent superseding updates) to patch the quartz.dll vulnerability in affected DirectX installations. Consider disabling QuickTime parsing in DirectShow or using application whitelisting to block untrusted QuickTime files.

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
DirectxApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 8.1= 9.0
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
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. Confirm Windows version is affected
    Open System Properties (winver or right-click My Computer > Properties) and verify the Windows version is Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
    Affected if The installed Windows version is Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003 (any Service Pack)
  2. Verify DirectX version
    Run 'dxdiag' from the Start Menu or Run dialog, check the System tab for the DirectX Version number
    Affected if DirectX version is 7.0, 8.1, or 9.0 (any subversion like 9.0a, 9.0c)
  3. Confirm quartz.dll is present
    Check for the existence of quartz.dll in the System32 folder (typically C:\Windows\System32\quartz.dll) using File Explorer or the command 'dir C:\Windows\System32\quartz.dll'
    Affected if quartz.dll exists on the system (vulnerable component is present)
  4. Check quartz.dll file version
    Right-click quartz.dll in System32, select Properties, go to the Version tab, and record the File Version string; or use 'wmic datafile where name="C:\\Windows\\System32\\quartz.dll" get Version'
    Affected if The file version matches the vulnerable build (pre-patch) - compare against the version in KB969883
  5. Determine if QuickTime parsing is in use
    Check if applications that use DirectShow (media players, web browsers with media plugins) are configured to handle QuickTime files, or inspect DirectShow filter registrations using 'regsvr32 /s quartz.dll' verification
    Affected if QuickTime file handling via DirectShow filters is enabled or applications can open QuickTime files through DirectShow

The system is affected if it runs Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 with DirectX 9.0 or earlier AND contains the vulnerable quartz.dll version that has not been patched via KB969883.

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 KB969883 (or subsequent superseding updates) to patch the quartz.dll vulnerability in affected DirectX installations. Consider disabling QuickTime parsing in DirectShow or using application whitelisting to block untrusted QuickTime files.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Security Update MS09-028 (KB961368); note that Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2 are beyond official support - migrate to supported Windows versions

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-028, which addresses this vulnerability (CVE-2009-1538) for affected Windows versions
  2. Download and install the security update from Microsoft Update or Windows Update
  3. For Windows 2000 SP4: Install security update KB961368
  4. For Windows XP SP2/SP3: Install security update KB961368
  5. For Windows Server 2003 SP2: Install security update KB961368
  6. Restart the system after applying the update
  7. Verify the update was successful by checking Windows Update history
Caveat Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2 are end-of-life; consider migrating to supported Windows versions for continued security support

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

Fix this in Directx 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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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-2009-1538 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