CVE-2010-0030
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 · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002 SP3 and 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PowerPoint document, aka "PowerPoint LinkedSlideAtom 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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 SP3 and 2003 SP3 when parsing the LinkedSlideAtom record within crafted .ppt files. The overflow allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious PowerPoint documents.
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= 2002= 2003CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed PowerPoint versionOpen PowerPoint, go to Help > About Microsoft Office PowerPoint, or check Add/Remove Programs for Microsoft Office installationAffected if Version listed is 2002 (version 10) or 2003 (version 11)
-
Confirm Service Pack levelIn Help > About, look for 'Service Pack 3' or check the installed updates for Office SP3Affected if PowerPoint shows as SP3 (the specific version mentioned as affected)
-
Verify exact build numberIn Help > About Microsoft Office PowerPoint, note the build number and compare against Microsoft's published affected build ranges for 2002 and 2003Affected if Build number falls within the vulnerable 2002 or 2003 SP3 build range
User is affected if PowerPoint 2002 or 2003 SP3 is installed and a specially crafted .ppt file is opened, as the vulnerability exists in the LinkedSlideAtom parsing logic for these specific versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply Microsoft security updates to affected PowerPoint installations (KB97517 or subsequent updates); avoid opening PowerPoint files from untrusted sources; consider enabling Office File Validation.
Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016 (all supported versions that include security fixes)
- Upgrade from PowerPoint 2002/2003 to a currently supported Microsoft Office version such as Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016.
- If immediate upgrade is not feasible, apply the Microsoft security update MS10-004 which addresses this specific vulnerability (CVE-2010-0030).
- Ensure Windows is fully patched as well since Office applications depend on system components.
- Verify the patch was applied successfully via Windows Update or by checking installed updates.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-0030 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-0030 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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