CVE-2009-0238: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution
Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.
Generated by VEDAS. Scores as of 2026-11-01 19:19 UTC. Rebuilt every few hours from cve-scores, CISA KEV and vedas-signatures. How this works and its limits.
What it is
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.
Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by microsoft, published 2009-02-25).
Weakness: CWE-94 Improper Control of Generation of Code (‘Code Injection’)
How it can be exploited
Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and a user must take an action. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses exploitation as active. Automatable: no. Technical impact: total.
- On CISA KEV since
- 2026-04-14
- US federal deadline
- 2026-04-28
- Ransomware use
- Not known
Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)
Also known as: BDU:2026-05633, CNNVD-200902-554, EUVD-2009-0246, GHSA-qw7j-w352-g8m7
VEDAS cluster: VEDAS:BLINKBRINK
Exploit Observer has no public exploit code that names this CVE or one of its aliases.
Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (5)
Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2009-0246
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-qw7j-w352-g8m7
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-0238
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0238
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cnnvd.org.cn/home/globalSearch?keyword=CNNVD-200902-554
16 more references returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.
VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.
Live scores
- EPSS
- 0.429
likely to be attacked soon - VEDAS
- 0.977
strong exploit evidence - On CISA KEV
- Yes, since 2026-04-14
- Detection rule
- None yet
Thin horizontal line: the “likely” (EPSS 0.10) or “strong” (VEDAS 0.90) threshold. Shaded “no data” areas are periods when cve-scores did not publish. The vertical line is the day CISA added it to its exploited list.
Who is affected
| Product | Affected | Not affected |
|---|---|---|
| Not stated | version n/a | Not stated |
Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.
How to fix it
CISA 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.
Vendor guidance:
- MS09-009 (vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS)
How to detect it
There is no open VEDAS detection rule for this bug yet. It is listed on the detection gaps page if CISA has confirmed attacks.
References
Vendor advisories and patches
- MS09-009 (vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS)
Exploits and technical analysis
- TA09-104A (third-party-advisory, x_refsource_CERT)
Government sources
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0238 (government-resource)
Other references
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/968272.mspx (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
- ADV-2009-1023 (vdb-entry, x_refsource_VUPEN)
- ms-excel-unspecified-code-execution(48875) (vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF)
- 33870 (vdb-entry, x_refsource_BID)
- http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-022310-4202-99 (x_refsource_MISC)
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:5968 (vdb-entry, signature, x_refsource_OVAL)
- http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5923 (x_refsource_MISC)
- 1021744 (vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK)
- http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2658 (x_refsource_MISC)
Other databases
Where this comes from
This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, CISA KEV, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.