RCE in Microsoft Office_powerpoint
CVE-2009-0556
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, and PowerPoint in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a PowerPoint file with an OutlineTextRefAtom containing an an invalid inde…
Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)
EPSS: 0.675 (99.2th 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 Office_powerpoint — versions 2004
- Microsoft Powerpoint — versions 2000, 2002, 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.
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- secure@microsoft.com (Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, Broken Link, x_refsource_VUPEN)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_OSVDB, vdb-entry, Broken Link)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_MS, vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, Broken Link, x_refsource_BID)
- secure@microsoft.com (vdb-entry, x_refsource_VUPEN, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
- secure@microsoft.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2009-0556?
- CVE-2009-0556 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Office_powerpoint, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2009-04-03.
- How severe is CVE-2009-0556?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2009-0556 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2009-0556 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-01-07), indicating it is being actively exploited. 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.