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Windows Media Format RuntimeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2009-2498

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-09-08
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
Microsoft Windows Media Format Runtime 9.0, 9.5, and 11 and Windows Media Services 9.1 and 2008 do not properly parse malformed headers in Advanced Systems Format (ASF) files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted (1) .asf, (2) .wmv, or (3) .wma file, aka "Windows Media Header Parsing Invalid Free 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

Heap corruption vulnerability in Windows Media Format Runtime and Windows Media Services allows remote code execution via crafted ASF/WMV/WMA files with malformed headers. The improper parsing leads to an invalid free condition, enabling attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS09-047) to patch the vulnerable Windows Media components, or disable Windows Media Player and block ASF/WMV/WMA file types as compensating controls.

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
Windows Media Format RuntimeApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.5= 11
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Media ServicesApplication
Affected:= 9.1= 2008
Media Foundation SdkApplication
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. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the Windows version
    Affected if The OS is Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Vista (all versions of these OSes are affected)
  2. Check Windows Media Format Runtime version
    Locate wmvcore.dll (typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and check its version property, or query via PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'C:\Windows\System32\wmvcore.dll' | Select-Object VersionInfo
    Affected if The version is 9.0, 9.5, or 11 (exact versions known to be affected)
  3. Check Windows Media Services installation
    Check for Windows Media Services via 'Programs and Features' or query the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\WindowsMediaServices
    Affected if Windows Media Services version 9.1 or 2008 is installed
  4. Verify Media Foundation SDK presence
    Check for Microsoft Media Foundation SDK installation through registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\MediaFoundation or inspect installed programs
    Affected if Media Foundation SDK is installed on any affected Windows version
  5. Confirm vulnerable component is accessible
    Check if Windows Media Player is enabled by examining the feature state via 'dism /online /get-features | findstr MediaPlayer' or verify wmvcore.dll is loadable
    Affected if Windows Media components are present and executable on the system

A system is affected if it runs any affected Windows version (2000, XP, Server 2003, Server 2008, Vista) and has Windows Media Format Runtime, Windows Media Services, or Media Foundation SDK installed and accessible.

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 updates (MS09-047) to patch the vulnerable Windows Media components, or disable Windows Media Player and block ASF/WMV/WMA file types as compensating controls.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-051 (Windows Media Format Runtime Security Update)

  1. Open Windows Update or Microsoft Update on the affected system
  2. Check for and install all available security updates, particularly MS09-051 which addresses this vulnerability
  3. Restart the system if prompted after updates are installed
  4. Verify the update was successful by checking the installed updates list
Caveat Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates; consider migrating to supported operating systems

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

Fix this in Windows Media Format Runtime Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2009-2498 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