RCE in Microsoft Excel
CVE-2009-0238
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…
Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)
EPSS: 0.431 (98.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Microsoft Excel — versions 2000, 2002, 2003
- Microsoft Excel_viewer
- Microsoft Office — versions 2004, 2008
- Microsoft Office_compatibility_pack — versions 2007
- Microsoft Office_excel_viewer — versions 2003
- N/a — versions n/a
Weakness classification (CWE)
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on . CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.
BOD 22-01 due date: .
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
References
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, Broken Link, x_refsource_VUPEN)
- secure@microsoft.com (Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF)
- secure@microsoft.com (US Government Resource, x_refsource_CERT, third-party-advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, Broken Link, x_refsource_BID)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_MISC, Broken Link)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_MS, vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (Broken Link, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, vdb-entry)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_MISC, Press/Media Coverage)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken Link)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2009-0238?
- CVE-2009-0238 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Excel, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2009-02-25.
- How severe is CVE-2009-0238?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2009-0238 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2009-0238 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-04-14), indicating it is being actively exploited.