CVE-2009-0238
Published 2009-02-25 · Updated 2026-06-16 · Source secure@microsoft.com
Summary
CVE-2009-0238 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) vulnerability in Microsoft Office. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on April 14, 2026, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed; US federal agencies had to remediate it by April 28, 2026. CISA does not currently list it as used in ransomware campaigns. Microsoft has 390 vulnerabilities in the KEV catalog, 117 of them linked to ransomware.
All 390 known-exploited Microsoft vulnerabilities →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 vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA Known-Exploited Vulnerability
Product: Microsoft — Office
Name: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution
Date added: 2026-04-14 · Due: 2026-04-28
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
- http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2658
- http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5923
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1021744
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/968272.mspx
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/33870
- http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-022310-4202-99
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-104A.html
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1023

