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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-3945

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
Buffer overflow in the CGM image converter in the graphics filters in Microsoft Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, and Office Converter Pack allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted CGM image in an Office document, aka "CGM Image Converter Buffer Overrun 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

Buffer overflow in Microsoft's CGM image converter within Office graphics filters allows remote code execution when users open Office documents containing specially crafted CGM image files.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS10-105 (or subsequent superseded updates) to all affected Office installations, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted Office documents.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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= xp
Office Converter PackApplication
Affected:all versions

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 installed Microsoft Office version
    Open a Command Prompt and run: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\Common\InstallRoot' /v Version (try versions 10.0 for XP, 11.0 for 2003). Alternatively, open an Office application, go to Help > About and note the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is Microsoft Office XP (version 10.x) or Microsoft Office 2003 (version 11.x)
  2. Check for Microsoft Office Converter Pack installation
    Open Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs (or Programs and Features). Look for 'Microsoft Office Converter Pack' in the installed programs list. Alternatively, check registry: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall' /s | findstr -i 'Converter Pack'.
    Affected if Microsoft Office Converter Pack is listed as installed
  3. Verify CGM graphics filter component presence
    Search for CGM filter files on the system. Common locations include: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\GRPHFLT\ (for CGMIMAGE.FLT) or check within the Office installation directory underGraphicsFilters. Use File Explorer search or command: dir /s C:\*cgm*.fl*
    Affected if CGM filter file (cgm*.fl*) exists in Office graphics filters directory or System32
  4. Confirm security update MS10-105 status
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates. Search for 'MS10-105' or security update related to graphics filters. Alternatively, check Windows Update history for this specific security bulletin.
    Affected if No security update matching MS10-105 (or superseded updates) is listed as installed

A system is affected if Microsoft Office XP, Office 2003, or the Office Converter Pack is installed AND the CGM graphics filter component is present AND MS10-105 security update has not been 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

Apply Microsoft security update MS10-105 (or subsequent superseded updates) to all affected Office installations, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted Office documents.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Check current Microsoft Office version by opening any Office application, clicking Help, and selecting About Microsoft Office [app name]
  2. For Office 2003 SP3: Navigate to Microsoft Update Catalog (catalog.update.microsoft.com) and search for KB2413172, or go to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/SecurityBulletins/2010/ms10-105
  3. For Office XP SP3: Navigate to Microsoft Update Catalog and search for KB2289162, or go to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/SecurityBulletins/2010/ms10-105
  4. Download the appropriate security update for your Office version from the Microsoft Update Catalog
  5. Apply the security update and restart the computer
  6. Verify the update was installed successfully via Windows Update > View update history
Caveat This vulnerability affects Office XP and Office 2003, which are both end-of-life. Microsoft no longer provides security updates for these products. Consider migrating to a supported Office version (Office 2010 or Microsoft 365) as long-term mitigation.

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2010-3945 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