CVE-2011-1269
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 · uneditedMicrosoft PowerPoint 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP2 make unspecified function calls during file parsing without proper handling of memory, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PowerPoint document, aka "Presentation Memory Corruption RCE 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 memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft PowerPoint's file parsing logic. When PowerPoint opens a crafted malicious .pptx file, it makes unspecified function calls during parsing without proper memory handling, leading to heap corruption that can be leveraged for remote code execution.
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= 2004= 2008= 2007all versions= 2002= 2003= 2007CVSS 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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Check installed PowerPoint version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\PowerPoint\InstallRoot, or run 'wmic product where "name like '%PowerPoint%'" get version,name' in Command PromptAffected if The installed version matches 2002 (10.x), 2003 (11.x), 2007 (12.x), or for Mac 2004 (11.x) or 2008 (12.x)
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Check Microsoft Office version on WindowsOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\Common\InstallRoot, or check Help > About Microsoft Office in any Office applicationAffected if The installed Office version matches 2004, 2007, or 2008 (for Mac) from the affected product list
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Check Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack versionGo to Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats', right-click and select 'Change' to see the version, or check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\CompatibilityPack\InstallRootAffected if Version is 2007 (12.x) specifically
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Check for Microsoft Open Xml File Format ConverterCheck installed programs list in Control Panel > Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Open XML File Format Converter' or check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Application Cleanup\OpenXmlFileFormatConverterAffected if The converter is installed (all versions are affected)
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Verify .pptx file handling capabilityAttempt to open any .pptx file in the installed PowerPoint application, or check file association for .pptx extension in Default ProgramsAffected if PowerPoint can open and parse .pptx files, which triggers the vulnerable code path
You are affected if any of the installed Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, Compatibility Pack, or Open XML File Format Converter versions match 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, or 2008 and the application can open .pptx files.
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 patches MS11-021, MS11-022, or MS11-023 (depending on affected product version). Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PowerPoint files and enable Protected View in Office.
Microsoft 365 (recommended) or Office 2016/2019/2021
- 1. Identify the current Microsoft Office/PowerPoint version installed by opening any Office application, clicking Help, and viewing the About/Microsoft <App> information.
- 2. For PowerPoint 2002 (2002 SP3): Apply Microsoft Security Update MS11-036 (KB2547206) from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2011/ms11-036
- 3. For PowerPoint 2003 (2003 SP3): Apply Microsoft Security Update MS11-036 (KB2535802) from the same bulletin
- 4. For PowerPoint 2007 (2007 SP2): Apply Microsoft Security Update MS11-036 (KB2519978) from the same bulletin
- 5. For Office 2004/2008 for Mac: Apply the respective Mac security updates from MS11-036
- 6. For Office Compatibility Pack 2007 (SP2): Apply Microsoft Security Update MS11-036 (KB2519978)
- 7. For Open XML File Format Converter for Mac: Apply the Mac security update from MS11-036
- 8. Alternatively, upgrade to a currently supported Microsoft Office version (Microsoft 365, Office 2016, 2019, or 2021) to receive ongoing security updates
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1269 — 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-2011-1269 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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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