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CVE-2009-0556 — Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, and PowerPoint in Microsoft…

Key facts

CVE-2009-0556 is a High (8.8) vulnerability: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, and PowerPoint in Microsoft…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2026-01-07), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

Actively exploited — on the CISA KEV catalog

CVE-2009-0556 is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2026-01-07), confirming exploitation in the wild. Federal remediation deadline: 2026-01-28. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules below.
CVE CVE-2009-0556
Severity High (8.8)
CISA KEV Actively exploited (added 2026-01-07)
Detection / prevention —
PoC poc.py
Source 2009/CVE-2009-0556/

Details

English | 한국어

Description

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."

Vulnerability Details

Property Value
CVE ID CVE-2009-0556
Type RCE
CVSS Score 8.8

Proof of Concept

Download

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2009/CVE-2009-0556/poc.py

Usage

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2009-0556

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints

Application URL Status
Vulnerable App http://localhost:8080 Shows vulnerability
Patched App http://localhost:8081 Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References

  • 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
  • https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/49632
  • https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6204
  • https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6279
  • 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
  • https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/49632
  • https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6204
  • https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6279
  • https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-0556

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-07-11T19:32:51.821375242

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-0556?

CVE-2009-0556 is a High (8.8) vulnerability: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, and PowerPoint in Microsoft…. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2026-01-07), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

How do I detect CVE-2009-0556?

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2009-0556?

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

Is CVE-2009-0556 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2009-0556 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 2026-01-07, which means it has been exploited in the wild. CISA set a federal remediation deadline of 2026-01-28. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules above.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.