# CVE-2008-4253: Memory corruption in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code via crafted HTML documents exploiting memory corruption in the FlexGrid ActiveX control.

- **Severity:** High 8.5 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Dec 2008
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xqjc-xc2g-945f

## What is CVE-2008-4253?

CVE-2008-4253 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Dec 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The FlexGrid ActiveX control in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, Office FrontPage 2002 SP3, and Office Project 2003 SP3 does not properly handle errors during access to incorrectly initialized objects, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML document, related to corruption of the "system state," aka "FlexGrid Control Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-399

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2008-4253?

It affects 5 products.


Products: Microsoft Office Frontpage, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual Foxpro, Microsoft Visual Studio .Net.

## How do I fix CVE-2008-4253?

No fix has been published for CVE-2008-4253 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2008-4253 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-4253 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2008-4255](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4255/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2008-4252](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4252/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2008-4254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4254/): Integer overflow in n/a (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2008-4256](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4256/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2008-4253 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2008-4253 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 10 Dec 2008. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2008-4253 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4253/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4253/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2008-4253
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-4253
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2008-4253

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4253/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.