dbcve.org
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2009-2501

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-10-14
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in GDI+ in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 SP1, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, 2007 Microsoft Office System SP1 and SP2, Office Project 2002 SP1, Visio 2002 SP2, Office Word Viewer, Word Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3, Office Excel Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3, Office Excel Viewer, Office PowerPoint Viewer 2007 Gold, SP1, and SP2, Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1 and SP2, Expression Web, Expression Web 2, Groove 2007 Gold and SP1, Works 8.5, SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services SP2, SQL Server 2005 SP2 and SP3, Report Viewer 2005 SP1, Report Viewer 2008 Gold and SP1, and Forefront Client Security 1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PNG image file, aka "GDI+ PNG Heap Overflow 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-based buffer overflow vulnerability in GDI+ library when parsing malformed PNG image files, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted images. The vulnerability affects multiple Windows components and applications that use the GDI+ rendering library.

MitigationDeploy Microsoft security update MS09-062 (GDI+) to all affected systems. Where patching is not feasible, restrict untrusted PNG content from being processed by vulnerable applications and disable IE's GDI+ image handling for high-risk contexts.

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 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions
.net FrameworkApplication
Affected:= 1.1= 2.0
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 6
Report ViewerApplication
Affected:= 2005= 2008
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2005

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 GDI+ library version
    Locate gdiplus.dll on the system (typically in C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\SysWOW64) and view its file properties to see the version number. Alternatively, run 'dir /a C:\Windows\System32\gdiplus.dll' to see version info.
    Affected if The file version is earlier than the patched version delivered by MS09-062 (the fixed version varies by Windows version but should be version 5.1.3102.5512 or higher for most systems).
  2. Verify MS09-062 security update installation
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' from command prompt, and search for update KB956572 or security update MS09-062.
    Affected if The MS09-062 update (KB956572) is NOT installed on the system.
  3. Check for vulnerable Internet Explorer 6
    Open Internet Explorer, go to Help > About Internet Explorer, or check Program Files for IE6 installation on the system.
    Affected if Internet Explorer version 6 is installed and in use.
  4. Detect vulnerable .NET Framework versions
    Check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v1.1.4322 and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0.50727 for installed versions, or use 'wmic product list' command.
    Affected if Microsoft .NET Framework versions 1.1 or 2.0 are installed without the MS09-062 update applied.
  5. Check for affected SQL Server 2005
    Check installed programs list or run 'SELECT @@VERSION' on SQL Server instances to identify SQL Server 2005 installations.
    Affected if Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is installed and has not been patched with MS09-062.

A system is affected if GDI+ (gdiplus.dll) lacks the MS09-062 update, or if any affected products (IE6, .NET 1.1/2.0, SQL Server 2005, Report Viewer 2005/2008) are present without the security patch applied.

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 update MS09-062 (GDI+) to all affected systems. Where patching is not feasible, restrict untrusted PNG content from being processed by vulnerable applications and disable IE's GDI+ image handling for high-risk contexts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Windows 10/11 (workstations) or Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 (servers), then apply latest cumulative security updates

  1. 1. Identify all systems running the affected Windows versions (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008)
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window for the operating system upgrade
  3. 3. Back up all critical data and verify backup integrity
  4. 4. Upgrade to a supported Windows version (Windows 10 or Windows 11 for workstations, Windows Server 2016 or later for servers)
  5. 5. After upgrade, ensure all other affected software (.NET Framework, Internet Explorer, SQL Server, Report Viewer) are updated to supported versions
  6. 6. Verify that GDI+ and all graphics components are functioning correctly post-upgrade
  7. 7. Re-deploy security baseline configurations and endpoint protection
Caveat Older applications designed for Windows XP/2003/Vista may require compatibility testing or modernization; some legacy dependencies may not function on newer OS versions

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

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2009-2501 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