# CVE-2009-0563: Microsoft Office Buffer Overflow

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a malicious Word document with a crafted tag.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 8 Jun 2022 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Jun 2009
- **Updated:** 22 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f5c7-c9q4-9h6j

## What is CVE-2009-0563?

CVE-2009-0563 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Office, published on 10 Jun 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Word 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1 and SP2; Microsoft Office for Mac 2004 and 2008; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 SP3; Microsoft Office Word Viewer; and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1 and SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Word document with a crafted tag containing an invalid length field, aka "Word Buffer Overflow Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-0563?

It affects 4 products.


Products: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Microsoft Open Xml File Format Converter.

## How do I fix CVE-2009-0563?

No fix has been published for CVE-2009-0563 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 22 Jun 2022.

## Is CVE-2009-0563 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2009-0563 in the wild since at least 8 Jun 2022.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office

- [CVE-2018-0798](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0798/): Microsoft Office Memory Corruption (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-1770](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1770/): Microsoft Office Uninitialized Memory Use (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2006-2492](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-2492/): Microsoft Word Malformed Object Pointer (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-0802](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0802/): Microsoft Office Memory Corruption (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-11882](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-11882/): Microsoft Office Memory Corruption (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2009-0563 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2009-0563 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Office, published on 10 Jun 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2009-0563 in the wild since at least 8 Jun 2022.

Affected product: Microsoft Office. 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-2009-0563/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0563/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-0563
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-0563
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2009-0563

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0563/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.