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PublisherApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-2569

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-16
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
pubconv.dll (aka the Publisher Converter DLL) in Microsoft Publisher 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2 does not properly handle an unspecified size field in certain older file formats, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via a crafted Publisher file, aka "Size Value Heap Corruption in pubconv.dll 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 pubconv.dll (Publisher Converter) in Microsoft Publisher 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2 allows remote code execution via crafted Publisher files with malformed size fields in older file formats. The DLL fails to properly validate size parameters, leading to heap memory corruption that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS10-023) to patch pubconv.dll in affected Publisher versions, or upgrade to a supported Microsoft Office version. Restrict opening of untrusted Publisher files and disable the Publisher Converter where unnecessary.

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
PublisherApplication
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
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. Verify Microsoft Publisher is installed
    Check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Publisher\InstallRoot or look for Publisher.exe in Program Files
    Affected if Publisher is not found in the registry or file system, the system is not affected
  2. Determine the installed Publisher version and Service Pack level
    Run 'winword.exe /x' to launch Word with the Publisher conversion add-in, or check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Publisher\DisplayVersion for version number
    Affected if Version is 10.0 (Publisher 2002), 11.0 (Publisher 2003), or 12.0 (Publisher 2007) with Service Pack 3 for 2002/2003 or SP2 for 2007
  3. Locate and check the pubconv.dll file version
    Find pubconv.dll in the Office installation folder (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\) and right-click to view Properties > Details for the File Version
    Affected if The file version matches versions shipped with unpatched Publisher 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, or 2007 SP2 (exact version numbers vary by language pack; compare to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-023)

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 (MS10-023) to patch pubconv.dll in affected Publisher versions, or upgrade to a supported Microsoft Office version. Restrict opening of untrusted Publisher files and disable the Publisher Converter where unnecessary.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Microsoft Publisher 2007 SP3 or newer (2010/2013/2016/2019/365) with all security updates applied. For Publisher 2002/2003, apply Microsoft Security Update MS10-023.

  1. 1. Determine the currently installed Microsoft Publisher version by opening Publisher, clicking Help, and selecting About Microsoft Office Publisher.
  2. 2. For Microsoft Publisher 2002: Install Microsoft Security Update MS10-023 (KB980085) to remediate the vulnerability.
  3. 3. For Microsoft Publisher 2003: Install Microsoft Security Update MS10-023 (KB982124) to remediate the vulnerability.
  4. 4. For Microsoft Publisher 2007: Install Microsoft Security Update MS10-023 (KB980469) or upgrade to Publisher 2007 SP3 which includes the security fix.
  5. 5. Alternatively, upgrade to a newer version of Microsoft Office (2010 or later) which is not affected by this specific vulnerability.
  6. 6. Apply the update via Microsoft Update or by downloading the specific security update from the Microsoft Download Center.
  7. 7. Restart Publisher and verify the update was applied successfully.
Caveat Moderate risk: Security updates for older Office versions may have compatibility issues with newer Windows versions; consider upgrading to a supported Office version for long-term support.

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

Fix this in Publisher 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-2010-2569 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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