CriticalCVE-2008-0015

    Microsoft Windows Video ActiveX Control Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0015)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: CVE.org

    What is affected, what to do

    Stack-based buffer overflow in the CComVariant::ReadFromStream function in the Active Template Library (ATL), as used in the MPEG2TuneRequest ActiveX control in msvidctl.dll in DirectShow, in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP2, Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, and Server 2008 Gold and SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web page, as exploited in the wild in July 2009, aka "Microsoft Video ActiveX Control Vulnerability."

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    8.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3

    8.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: CVE.org

    76.6 %

    EPSS score

    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 99.54

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    223.27 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploited
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    8.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    8.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

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    76.6 %
    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    99.54
    Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: total
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 17 February 2026
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-121

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    This is a network-reachable, unauthenticated drive-by flaw that needs nothing more than a user opening a web page. It was mass-exploited through exploit kits in 2009, weaponised exploits have long been public, and it sits among the CVEs most likely to be exploited. CISA does not flag known ransomware use. Today the real exposure lies in organisations still running unreplaced XP/2003 systems in OT, medical or manufacturing environments, which are common in KRITIS. If any such host can reach the web, treat this as critical. If you have no legacy estate, or it is fully isolated, the risk is low, but use the finding to drive inventory clean-up.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Inventory now: Identify every host running Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista or Server 2008 (Gold/SP2). Pay particular attention to engineering workstations, HMIs, POS, lab and embedded systems. These platforms are out of support, so treat each hit as its own risk item.
      • Verify the patch: Microsoft fixed this vulnerability in MS09-032 (cumulative ActiveX kill-bit update, KB973346), with related ATL fixes in MS09-037. Confirm that both are installed. Look up the exact KB and package for each platform in the vendor advisory.
      • Set the kill bit where patching is impossible: For the MPEG2TuneRequest control (CLSID {0955AC62-BF2E-4CBA-A2B9-A63F772D46CF}), set HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{0955AC62-BF2E-4CBA-A2B9-A63F772D46CF} → Compatibility Flags = 0x400 (DWORD). On x64, also set it under Wow6432Node. Push the value via GPO or script. Pull the remaining CLSIDs from Microsoft Security Advisory 972890.
      • Cut web access: Block or remove Internet Explorer on affected legacy hosts. Default-deny outbound HTTP/HTTPS (80/443) from these hosts at the zone firewall.
      • Isolate legacy systems: Move anything that cannot be migrated into a dedicated VLAN or IEC 62443 zone. Allow only explicitly required flows.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Network segmentation: Legacy hosts get no direct internet path and no route to the corporate proxy. Data exchange goes only through jump hosts or data diodes. This is the strongest layer, because the attack requires the victim to load a malicious page.
      • Web proxy / IPS: Block HTTP responses containing the CLSID string 0955AC62-BF2E-4CBA-A2B9-A63F772D46CF or references to MPEG2TuneRequest or msvidctl. Enable the relevant Emerging Threats Suricata/Snort signatures (MS09-032 / msvidctl category) in drop mode.
      • Endpoint hardening: In IE, disable "Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins" for the Internet and Intranet zones, or block IE outright via Software Restriction Policy. Enforce DEP for all programs (/noexecute=AlwaysOn) where compatible.
      • IAM / least privilege: Code runs with the logged-on user's rights, so no admin accounts for day-to-day use or browsing on legacy hosts. Ensure local admin passwords are unique and rotated.
      • Configuration: As a last-resort stopgap, deny users read access to msvidctl.dll via ACL. Test the side effects on media functionality first.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Proxy / Zeek HTTP logs: Hunt for the CLSID string in response bodies and for legacy IE user agents coming from legacy subnets. SPL: index=proxy (cs_user_agent="*MSIE 6.0*" OR cs_user_agent="*MSIE 7.0*") src_zone=legacy | stats count by src_ip, dest_host
      • Suricata alerts: Route ET MS09-032/MPEG2TuneRequest hits to the SOC as high priority. Any hit from a legacy segment triggers emergency triage.
      • Windows Security log (XP/2003): Event ID 592 (process creation; enable "Audit process tracking") showing iexplore.exe spawning cmd.exe, rundll32.exe, regsvr32.exe, or unknown EXEs from %TEMP%. On Vista/2008, use Event ID 4688 instead.
      • File system / EDR: Look for new executables in Temporary Internet Files or %TEMP% shortly after IE page loads. Also watch Application log Event ID 1000/1001 crashes of iexplore.exe with faulting module msvidctl.dll.
      • Registry integrity: Check that the kill bit is present and has not been removed, using periodic compliance scans or Sysmon EID 13 on supported hosts (Sigma: TargetObject|contains: '0955AC62-BF2E-4CBA-A2B9-A63F772D46CF').

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    Stack-based buffer overflow in the CComVariant::ReadFromStream function in the Active Template Library (ATL), as used in the MPEG2TuneRequest ActiveX control in msvidctl.dll in DirectShow, in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP2, Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, and Server 2008 Gold and SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web page, as exploited in the wild in July 2009, aka "Microsoft Video ActiveX Control Vulnerability."

    Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, CVE.org (MITRE)

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_2003_server—
    Windowsmicrosoftwindows_xp—

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-121Stack-based Buffer Overflow

      Variant

      A stack-based buffer overflow condition is a condition where the buffer being overwritten is allocated on the stack (i.e., is a local variable or, rarely, a parameter to a function).

      Entry at MITRE CWE-121

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited

    References & sources

    • securityfocus.com35558Vulnerability database, x_refsource_BID, Broken link
    • us-cert.govTA09-223AThird-party advisory, x_refsource_CERT, US government resource
    • blogs.technet.comsrd/archive/2009/08/11/ms09-037-why-we-are-using-cve-s-already-…x_refsource_MISC, Broken link
    • osvdb.org55651Vulnerability database, x_refsource_OSVDB, Broken link
    • oval.cisecurity.orgoval:org.mitre.oval:def:6333Vulnerability database, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, Broken link
    • securityfocus.com35585Vulnerability database, x_refsource_BID, Broken link
    • secunia.com36187Third-party advisory, x_refsource_SECUNIA, Broken link
    • docs.microsoft.comMS09-032Vendor advisory, x_refsource_MS, Third-party advisory
    • oval.cisecurity.orgoval:org.mitre.oval:def:7436Vulnerability database, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, Broken link
    • vupen.comADV-2009-2232Vulnerability database, x_refsource_VUPEN, Broken link
    • securitytracker.com1022514Vulnerability database, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken link
    • docs.microsoft.comMS09-037Vendor advisory, x_refsource_MS, Third-party advisory
    • csis.dkdk/nyheder/nyheder.asp?tekstID=799x_refsource_MISC, Exploit
    • isc.sans.orgdiary.html?storyid=6733x_refsource_MISC, Exploit
    • us-cert.govTA09-187AThird-party advisory, x_refsource_CERT, US government resource
    • microsoft.comtechnet/security/advisory/972890.mspxx_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor advisory
    • us-cert.govTA09-195AThird-party advisory, x_refsource_CERT, US government resource
    • iss.net20090706 Multiple Microsoft Video Control ActiveX Remote Code Execution VulnerabilitiesThird-party advisory, x_refsource_ISS, Exploit
    • oval.cisecurity.orgoval:org.mitre.oval:def:6363Vulnerability database, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, Broken link
    • kb.cert.orgVU#180513Third-party advisory, x_refsource_CERT-VN, US government resource
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