Known exploited · Microsoft

CVE-2009-0238: Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution

What it is

Microsoft Office Excel contains a remote code execution vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take complete control of an affected system if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file that includes a malformed object.

Added April 14, 2026Due April 28, 2026CISA KEV catalog 2026.10.01

Vendor
Microsoft
Product
Office
Added to KEV
April 14, 2026
CISA due date
April 28, 2026
Ransomware use
Unknown

What CISA requires

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Forensic triage

No

What to do now

  1. Find every instance of Office you run, including the forgotten ones, and check its version against the vendor advisory.
  2. Apply the vendor's fix or mitigation, before April 28, 2026 if you are bound by CISA's deadline, sooner if it faces the internet.
  3. Assume it was tried against you already: look for signs of exploitation from the date it was added, not from the day you patched.
  4. Until every instance is patched, block the attack at the edge: a WAF in blocking mode stops PHP and Node.js code injection payloads.

References

CVE-2009-0238 in the National Vulnerability Database

The Dome

Block it at the edge while you patch

The Dome's WAF runs the OWASP Core Rule Set in blocking mode and stops PHP and Node.js code injection payloads before they reach your application.

See the Dome

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Train the engineers who fix it

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Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (public domain), catalog version 2026.10.01.