What it is
CVE-2009-3129 is an unauthenticated vulnerability affecting Microsoft Office Excel. Microsoft Office Excel 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1 and SP2; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for...
Vulnerability report
Exploited in the wild
Confirmed confidence
In CISA KEV
CVE-2009-3129
Office Excel
Microsoft / Office Excel
- Severity
- CVSS 7.8 · High
- Confidence
- Confirmed
- Exploit status
- Exploited in the wild
- EPSS
- 85.7%
- First observed
- —
- Last observed
- —
Decision summary
What security teams need to know first
Direct answers before the deeper technical record.
Is it exploited?
Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.
Who is affected?
Microsoft / Office Excel.
What should we do?
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
Overview
Office Excel
Microsoft Office Excel 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP1 and SP2; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; Office Excel Viewer 2003 SP3; Office Excel Viewer SP1 and SP2; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP1 and SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a spreadsheet with a FEATHEADER record containing an invalid cbHdrData size element that affects a pointer offset, aka "Excel Featheader Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
- Published
- 11 Nov 2009
- Exploitation Reported
- 03 Mar 2022
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
Tags
cisa
metasploit
CVE References
- CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-3129
- MS09-067 docs.microsoft.com · Vendor Advisory https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2...
- TA09-314A us-cert.gov · Third-Party Advisory http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-314A.html
- 20091110 Microsoft Excel FEATHEADER Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability labs.idefense.com · Third-Party Advisory http://labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/display.php?id=832
- 14706 exploit-db.com · Exploit http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/14706
- 59860 osvdb.org · VDB Entry http://osvdb.org/59860
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:6521 oval.cisecurity.org · VDB Entry https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.m...
- 1023157 securitytracker.com · VDB Entry http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1023157
- 36945 securityfocus.com · VDB Entry http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36945
- 20091110 ZDI-09-083: Microsoft Excel Shared Feature Header Pointer Offset Memory Corruption Vulnerability archives.neohapsis.com · Mailing List http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2009-11/0080.html
- zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-083 zerodayinitiative.com · CVE Record http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-083
Exploitation evidence
Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited
Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.
Exploited in the wild
CISA
Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.
Proof of concept available
Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.
Known exploited vulnerability sources
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2022-03-03 00:00 UTC |
Detection
Operational artifacts and observed signals
Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.
Observed signals
- Request targets
- 0
- User-Agents
- 0
Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.
Scanner coverage
Metasploit template detected 28 Apr 2025.
View Metasploit template (opens in new tab)Virtual patch status
No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.
Learn about virtual patches →Scanner Artifacts
Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/fileformat/ms09_067_excel_featheader.rb | 28 Apr 2025 |
Risk and context
Severity, weaknesses, and research context
CVSS v3.1
7.8
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS
85.7%
Weaknesses
All CVSS Scores
CVSS v3.1
7.8
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v2.0
9.3
High
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
Timeline
From disclosure to observed exploitation
-
Metasploit module available
Exploit module available
-
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Pro API
Automate this intelligence
Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
- Evidence confidence and provenance
- First-party sensor telemetry
- PoC and scanner references
- Affected versions and enrichment
- Automation-ready JSON delivery
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2009-3129
Free JSON includes basic KEV fields{
"cve_id": "CVE-2009-3129",
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 7.8,
"cvss_estimated": false,
"epss_score": 0.85731,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}Early warning alerts
Get alerts on high-impact exploitation
Receive curator-selected alerts when exploitation activity warrants attention. Each alert includes the evidence and context needed to decide what requires attention now.