CVE-2006-1540

Name: CVE-2006-1540
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2006-03-30T11:02:00+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 43.66%

Last modified Jun 16, 2026

CVE-2006-1540 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. MSO.DLL in Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP (2002), and Office 2003 allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service and execute arbitrary code via multiple attack vectors, as originally demonstrated using a crafted document record with a malformed string, as demonstrated by replacing a certain "01 00 00 00" byte sequence with an "FF FF FF FF" byte sequence, possibly causing an invalid array index, in (1) an Excel .xls document, which triggers an access violation in ole32.dll; (2) an Excel .xlw document, which triggers an access violation in excel.exe; (3) a Word document, which triggers an access violation in mso.dll in winword.exe; and (4) a PowerPoint document, which triggers an access violation in powerpnt.txt. NOTE: after the initial disclosure, this issue was demonstrated by triggering an integer overflow using an inconsistent size for a Unicode "Sheet Name" string.. EPSS estimates a 43.66% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

MSO.DLL in Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP (2002), and Office 2003 allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service and execute arbitrary code via multiple attack vectors, as originally demonstrated using a crafted document record with a malformed string, as demonstrated by replacing a certain "01 00 00 00" byte sequence with an "FF FF FF FF" byte sequence, possibly causing an invalid array index, in (1) an Excel .xls document, which triggers an access violation in ole32.dll; (2) an Excel .xlw document, which triggers an access violation in excel.exe; (3) a Word document, which triggers an access violation in mso.dll in winword.exe; and (4) a PowerPoint document, which triggers an access violation in powerpnt.txt. NOTE: after the initial disclosure, this issue was demonstrated by triggering an integer overflow using an inconsistent size for a Unicode "Sheet Name" string.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

43.66%

98.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-94

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Microsoft	Office	All versions	—
Microsoft	Office	2000	—
Microsoft	Office	2003	—
Microsoft	Office	2004	—
Microsoft	Office	v.x	—
Microsoft	Office	xp	Sp1

References

http://secunia.com/advisories/21012Third Party Advisory
http://securitytracker.com/id?1015855Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/609868Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.osvdb.org/27150Broken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/439697/100/0/threaded
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/17252Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18889Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA06-192A.htmlThird Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2006/2756Vendor Advisory
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2006/ms06-038
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/27607Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/27609Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A639Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/1615Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://secunia.com/advisories/21012Third Party Advisory
http://securitytracker.com/id?1015855Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/609868Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.osvdb.org/27150Broken Link
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/439697/100/0/threaded
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/17252Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/18889Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA06-192A.htmlThird Party Advisory, US Government Resource
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2006/2756Vendor Advisory
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2006/ms06-038
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/27607Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/27609Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A639Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/1615Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry

Timeline

Published: Mar 30, 2006
Last Modified: Jun 16, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2006-1540?

How severe is CVE-2006-1540?

Severity scoring for CVE-2006-1540 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 43.66% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2006-1540?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2006-1540?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST