CVE-2009-0556: Technical Deep-Dive (Auto Refreshed)

Generated on 2026-03-23T21:48:56.620Z. This file is automatically regenerated every 30 minutes by the CVE AI enrichment job using web sources (NVD, MITRE, CISA KEV, GitHub).

Executive Technical Summary

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 index value that triggers memory corruption, as exploited in the wild in April 2009 by Exploit:Win32/Apptom.gen, aka "Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

• Context preserved from previous revision: 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 index value that triggers memory corruption, as exploited in the wild in April 2009 by Exploit:Win32/Apptom.gen, aka "Memory Corruption Vulnerability." 1. Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.

Technical Details

• CVE: CVE-2009-0556
• KEV date added: 2026-01-07
• KEV due date: 2026-01-28
• NVD published: 2009-04-03
• NVD modified: 2026-01-08
• MITRE modified: 2026-01-08
• CVSS base score: 8.8
• CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• CVSS exploitability score: 2.8
• CVSS impact score: 5.9
• Attack vector: Network
• Attack complexity: Low
• Privileges required: None
• User interaction: Required
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality impact: High
• Integrity impact: High
• Availability impact: High

Versions and Products Impacted

• microsoft / office powerpoint (versions: 2004)
• microsoft / powerpoint (versions: 2000)
• microsoft / powerpoint (versions: 2002)
• microsoft / powerpoint (versions: 2003)
• n/a / n/a (versions: n/a)

Weakness Classification

• CWE-94

Repositories for Lab Validation (Public Examples)

• No public repository matched this CVE query in the current run.

People and Organizations Mentioned

• microsoft
• Office

Practical Defensive Validation (Authorized Only)

1. Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.
2. Snapshot infrastructure before validation and preserve baseline logs (EDR, SIEM, OS, app).
3. Inventory microsoft / office powerpoint (versions: 2004) assets and confirm exact vulnerable versions with automated checks.
4. Patch in staged environments and validate closure with scanners + service health checks.
5. Map detections to MITRE ATT&CK tactics relevant to your environment and tune alert quality.

References

• NVD record: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-0556
• MITRE CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-0556
• CISA KEV Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
• CISA KEV JSON feed: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json
• KEV notes: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-017 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-0556
• http://blogs.technet.com/mmpc/archive/2009/04/02/new-0-day-exploits-using-powerpoint-files.aspx
• http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2009/04/02/microsoft-security-advisory-969136.aspx
• http://blogs.technet.com/srd/archive/2009/04/02/investigating-the-new-powerpoint-issue.aspx
• http://osvdb.org/53182
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34572
• http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/627331
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/969136.mspx
• http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/503453/100/0/threaded
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/34351
• http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021967
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-132A.html
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/0915
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1290
• http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-019
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-017

This content is for defensive security training and authorized validation only.