CVE-2009-0238

Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution

8.8 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)EPSS 43.2%

Published25 Feb 2009
Added to CISA KEV14 Apr 2026
Remediation due28 Apr 2026

Description

Microsoft Office Excel 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1; Excel Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; Excel Viewer; Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1; and Excel in Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Excel document that triggers an access attempt on an invalid object, as exploited in the wild in February 2009 by Trojan.Mdropper.AC.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionRequired

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Microsoft Excel2000 · 2002 · 2003 · 2007

Microsoft Excel Viewerall versions

Microsoft Office2004 · 2008

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack2007

Microsoft Office Excel Viewer2003

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

Patch & vendor advisories

References

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2658Broken Link
http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5923Press/Media Coverage
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-009Vendor Advisory
http://securitytracker.com/id?1021744Broken Link
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/48875Third Party Advisory
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A5968Broken Link
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0238US Government Resource
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/968272.mspxVendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/33870Broken Link
http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-022310-4202-99Broken Link

and 2 more references

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2009-0238 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2009-0238 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 14 Apr 2026.

How severe is CVE-2009-0238?

CVE-2009-0238 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 43.2% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2009-0238?

Affected products include Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Excel Viewer, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, Microsoft Office Excel Viewer.

How do I fix CVE-2009-0238?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2009-0238 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.