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VisioApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-0256

HIGH · 7.6 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-04-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
85/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Office Visio 2002 SP2, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1 and SP2 does not properly calculate unspecified indexes associated with Visio files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, aka "Visio Index Calculation Memory Corruption 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Visio caused by improper calculation of unspecified indexes when parsing Visio files. A specially crafted Visio file can trigger a buffer overflow allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for affected Visio versions; implement file type restrictions to block opening of untrusted Visio files; consider removing Visio if not required.

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
VisioApplication
Affected:= 2002= 2003= 2007

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
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:H/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 installed Visio version
    Use system inventory tools or check Add/Remove Programs to determine the exact version of Microsoft Visio installed
    Affected if Version is 2002, 2003, or 2007
  2. Compare version against affected range
    Verify if the installed version matches 2002, 2003, or 2007 by checking version information in Visio's About dialog or system properties
    Affected if Installed version is exactly 2002, 2003, or 2007
  3. Assess Visio file processing exposure
    Determine if the system regularly opens Visio files from external or untrusted sources
    Affected if Users open Visio files without strict validation
  4. Check for security updates
    Review installed Windows updates or patch management software for MS10-028 or subsequent Visio security patches
    Affected if Critical security updates are not applied

System is vulnerable if Visio versions 2002, 2003, or 2007 are installed without security updates and users open untrusted Visio files

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for affected Visio versions; implement file type restrictions to block opening of untrusted Visio files; consider removing Visio if not required.

Fix this in Visio Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2010-0256 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
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