CVEs / CVE-2009-0238
CVE-2009-0238: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 14 Apr 2026
- high 9.3 CVSS 2.0 (NVD)
- EPSS 42.9% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 98% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
Microsoft Office Excel contains a remote code execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take complete control of an affected system if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file that includes a malformed object.
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.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a n/a | n/a | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 14 Apr 2026 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 28 Apr 2026 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| 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. |
Severity
| CVSS 2.0 | 9.3 highAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:CScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-94 |
References
- CVE-2009-0238 on NVD
- CVE-2009-0238 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-009 (cited by CISA)
- http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2658 Broken Link
- http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5923 Press/Media Coverage
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1021744 Broken Link
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/968272.mspx Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/33870 Broken Link
- http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-022310-4202-99 Broken Link
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-104A.html US Government Resource
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1023 Broken Link
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-009 Vendor Advisory
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/48875 Third Party Advisory
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A5968 Broken Link
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0238 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.