dbcve.org
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2009-3126

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
Integer 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 Integer 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

Integer overflow in GDI+ library when parsing crafted PNG image files. The overflow occurs during PNG dimension parsing, leading to heap corruption and allowing remote code execution via a malicious PNG file opened in any affected Microsoft product.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS09-062) to all affected products including Internet Explorer, Windows, Office, SQL Server, and other listed applications. Disable GDI+ handling or use alternative image viewers as a temporary workaround.

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. Identify Windows version
    Open Command Prompt and run 'winver' or check System Properties. Also run 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to confirm the exact Windows edition and version.
    Affected if The system is running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008 without the MS09-062 security update applied.
  2. Check GDI+ library version
    Locate gdiplus.dll (typically in C:\Windows\System32 on 32-bit or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 on 64-bit). Right-click the file, select Properties, and examine the File Version field. Alternatively, run 'dir C:\Windows\System32\gdiplus.dll /a' to see version details.
    Affected if The gdiplus.dll file version is older than the patched version released in MS09-062, or the file exists and the system has not received the security update.
  3. Verify Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help, then About Internet Explorer. Note the version number.
    Affected if Internet Explorer version 6 is installed, as this version relies on GDI+ for image rendering and is directly affected when processing malicious PNG files.
  4. Check .NET Framework installation
    Navigate to C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\ and list the subdirectories. Each subdirectory (such as v1.1.4322 or v2.0.50727) indicates an installed version. Alternatively, run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP" /s' to query the registry for installed versions.
    Affected if .NET Framework version 1.1 or version 2.0 is installed without the MS09-062 update applied.
  5. Confirm SQL Server 2005 presence
    Open SQL Server Configuration Manager or run 'sqlcmd -S localhost -E -Q "SELECT @@VERSION"' to identify the installed SQL Server version. Check Programs in Control Panel for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 entries.
    Affected if SQL Server 2005 is installed and the instance has not been patched with MS09-062.
  6. Check Report Viewer component
    Open Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, and look for Microsoft Report Viewer 2005 or Microsoft Report Viewer 2008. Alternatively, search for 'Microsoft.ReportViewer' in Add/Remove Programs.
    Affected if Microsoft Report Viewer 2005 or 2008 is installed and the associated GDI+ components have not been updated.

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed products (Windows XP/2003/Vista/2008, IE6, .NET 1.1/2.0, SQL Server 2005, Report Viewer 2005/2008) without the MS09-062 security update applied to address the GDI+ integer overflow in PNG parsing.

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 (MS09-062) to all affected products including Internet Explorer, Windows, Office, SQL Server, and other listed applications. Disable GDI+ handling or use alternative image viewers as a temporary workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

While immediate patching is required, the affected products (Windows XP, Vista, 2003/2008 Server, IE6, Office XP/2003/2007) are now end-of-life. Consider migrating to supported versions: Windows 10/11, Windows Server 2016+, Office 365 or Office 2019+, and modern browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox).

  1. Locate and apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-062 (GDI+ vulnerabilities) from October 2009
  2. For Windows XP SP2/SP3: Ensure Windows Update is enabled and install security update KB958869
  3. For Windows Vista: Install security update KB958869 from Windows Update
  4. For Windows Server 2003: Install security update KB958869
  5. For Windows Server 2008: Install security update KB958869
  6. For Internet Explorer 6: Install the cumulative security update for IE6 (included in MS09-062)
  7. For Office products (Word Viewer, Excel Viewer, PowerPoint Viewer, Office Compatibility Pack): Install the applicable GDI+ update from MS09-062
  8. For SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services and SQL Server 2005: Apply SQL Server security updates from MS09-062
Caveat Patching older end-of-life systems may cause compatibility issues with legacy applications. Ensure testing in non-production environment before deploying updates to production systems.

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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-3126 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2009-3126 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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