CVE-2010-3951
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the FlashPix image converter in the graphics filters in Microsoft Office XP SP3 and Office Converter Pack allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted FlashPix image in an Office document, aka "FlashPix Image Converter Buffer 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 confidenceThis is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the FlashPix image converter component of Microsoft Office XP SP3 and Office Converter Pack graphics filters. Attackers exploit this by embedding a specially crafted FlashPix image file within an Office document; when opened, the malformed image triggers the overflow, allowing execution of arbitrary code with the user's privileges.
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= xpall versionsCVSS 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.
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Verify Office XP installationCheck the Windows Registry for Microsoft Office XP installation under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\InstallRoot or use Programs and Features to list installed Microsoft Office products.Affected if Microsoft Office XP (version 10.x) is listed as installed.
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Confirm Office XP Service Pack levelCheck registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\InstallRoot for ServicePackLevel value or inspect installed updates via wmic qfe list.Affected if Service Pack 3 (SP3) is installed, as the vulnerability specifically affects Office XP SP3.
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Detect Office Converter Pack installationCheck registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Converter Pack or inspect Add/Remove Programs for 'Office Converter Pack' entry.Affected if Office Converter Pack of any version is installed.
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Locate FlashPix graphics filter componentSearch for the Fpx32.flt or fpx32.dll filter file in the Office graphics filters directory, typically found in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Graphics\Filters or the Office10\Graphics\Filters folder.Affected if The FlashPix filter (Fpx32.flt or fpx32.dll) is present on the system.
The system is affected if either Office XP SP3 or any version of Office Converter Pack is installed and the FlashPix graphics filter component is present, allowing malformed FlashPix images embedded in Office documents to trigger the buffer overflow.
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.
From vendor dataApply Microsoft Security Update MS10-087 (or subsequent relevant patches) to all affected Office XP and Office Converter Pack installations. Until patched, exercise caution with untrusted Office documents and disable the graphics filter handler if possible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-3951 — 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-2010-3951 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
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- 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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