CVE-2009-3129: Microsoft Excel Featheader Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-8e0136ac9832, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name: Microsoft Excel Featheader Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability
Vendor: Microsoft
Product: Excel
Added to the catalog: 2022-03-03
Due date for US federal agencies: 2022-03-24
Weaknesses: CWE-94
Catalog version: 2026.10.30

Microsoft Office Excel 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.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.

Links in CISA's notes

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-3129

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status: Analyzed
Published: 2009-11-11T19:30:00.530
Last modified: 2026-06-16T23:11:00.237
Weaknesses: CWE-787

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."

Metric	Score	Severity	Vector	Scored by
CVSS 3.1	7.8	HIGH	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H	[email protected] (Primary)
CVSS 3.1	7.8	HIGH	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary)
CVSS 2.0	9.3	HIGH	AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C	[email protected] (Primary)

References

http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2009-11/0080.html (Broken Link)
http://labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/display.php?id=832 (Broken Link)
http://osvdb.org/59860 (Broken Link)
http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/14706 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36945 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1023157 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-314A.html (Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-083 (Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-067 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6521 (Broken Link)
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2009-11/0080.html (Broken Link)
http://labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/display.php?id=832 (Broken Link)
http://osvdb.org/59860 (Broken Link)
http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/14706 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36945 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1023157 (Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-314A.html (Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-083 (Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-067 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6521 (Broken Link)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-3129 (US Government Resource)

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:28.906Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2009-3129

CVE record

Assigner: microsoft
State: PUBLISHED
Published: 2009-11-11T19:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2025-10-22T00:05:54.084Z
Problem types: n/a

References

59860
oval:org.mitre.oval:def:6521
1023157
36945
TA09-314A
20091110 Microsoft Excel FEATHEADER Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability
MS09-067
20091110 ZDI-09-083: Microsoft Excel Shared Feature Header Pointer Offset Memory Corruption Vulnerability
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-083
14706

Read on 2026-11-03T00:12:20.000Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2009/3xxx/CVE-2009-3129.json

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write

Harden: Variable Initialization (acts on Subroutine)
Harden: Trusted Library (acts on Subroutine)
Harden: Software Update (acts on Software)
Model: Asset Vulnerability Enumeration (acts on Software)
Model: Software Inventory (acts on Software)
Harden: Domain Logic Validation (acts on Subroutine)
Harden: Credential Scrubbing (acts on Subroutine)
Isolate: Application-based Process Isolation (acts on Subroutine)
Restore: Restore Software (acts on Software)

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-03T00:02:57.820Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-787.json

MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/

Sources and licences

CISA
Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.
CC0 1.0 Universal
National Vulnerability Database (NIST)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)
CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation
Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
CVE Program Terms of Use ("CVE Usage" licence)
MITRE D3FEND
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/
MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2009-3129: Microsoft Excel Featheader Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-8e0136ac9832, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2009-3129 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-16T23:11:00.237.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-22T00:05:54.084Z.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.

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