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DirectxApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2009-1539

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 does not properly validate unspecified size fields in QuickTime media files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, aka "DirectX Size 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 (quartz.dll) in DirectShow DirectX 7.0-9.0c fails to properly validate size fields within QuickTime media files. This insufficient boundary/size validation allows specially crafted QuickTime files to trigger heap or buffer overflow conditions, leading to arbitrary code execution when the malformed file is opened.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS09-028 (or subsequent cumulative updates) which addresses this DirectX vulnerability. Alternatively, disable the QuickTime parser filter in DirectShow or restrict handling of untrusted QuickTime media files until the patch can be deployed.

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. Check Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to identify if the system is Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
    Affected if The system is Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
  2. Check DirectX version
    Run 'dxdiag' and look at the DirectX Version line, or check the version of quartz.dll in %SystemRoot%\System32\quartz.dll
    Affected if DirectX version is 7.0, 8.1, or 9.0 (9.0c)
  3. Verify quartz.dll file version
    Right-click %SystemRoot%\System32\quartz.dll, select Properties, then check the File Version field. Alternatively run 'wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Windows\\System32\\quartz.dll'" get Version'
    Affected if quartz.dll version matches DirectX 7.0-9.0c versions and has not been patched
  4. Confirm QuickTime parsing is enabled
    Check if the QuickTime Movie Parser Filter (quartz.dll) is registered and available. This is typically enabled by default on affected systems. Verify by attempting to play a valid .mov file or checking DirectShow filter registration
    Affected if QuickTime media file handling is enabled in DirectShow (default state on vulnerable systems)
  5. Identify if untrusted QuickTime files are processed
    Review system or application logs for QuickTime file processing, or check if users routinely open QuickTime (.mov) files from untrusted sources. Look for file associations with quartz.dll
    Affected if Users can open or preview QuickTime media files through DirectShow

A system is affected if it runs Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003 with DirectX 7.0-9.0c and the QuickTime parser filter (quartz.dll) is enabled, allowing specially crafted QuickTime files to trigger the overflow.

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 MS09-028 (or subsequent cumulative updates) which addresses this DirectX vulnerability. Alternatively, disable the QuickTime parser filter in DirectShow or restrict handling of untrusted QuickTime media files until the patch can be deployed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-028 (KB969883) - DirectX security update

  1. Open Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 969883 (https://support.microsoft.com/kb/969883) in a web browser
  2. Locate the security update corresponding to your Windows version (MS09-028)
  3. Download the appropriate security update for your system (KB969883)
  4. Verify the patch matches your Windows version and architecture (x86/x64)
  5. Run the downloaded installer with administrator privileges
  6. Restart the computer when prompted
  7. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history
Caveat Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 are end-of-life; Microsoft no longer provides security updates; consider migrating to supported Windows versions

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

Fix this in Directx Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2009-1539 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