Widely used Office component; remote code execution; historically exploited; KEV-listed.
CVE-2009-0556
PowerPoint code injection enables remote code execution.
Is CVE-2009-0556 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2009-0556 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2009-0556?
CVE-2009-0556 is rated Critical. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2009-0556?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2009-0556. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2009-0556 affect?
CVE-2009-0556 affects Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002 SP3, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 SP3, PowerPoint in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2009-0556?
Apply MS09-017 or latest Office updates
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote code execution via crafted PPT file; memory corruption allows arbitrary code.
Patch when possible