CVE-2008-4255
CriticalPublic exploitHeap-based buffer overflow in mscomct2.ocx (aka Windows Common ActiveX control or Microsoft Animation ActiveX control) in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1 and 2003 SP1, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, and Office Project 2003 SP3 and 2007 Gold…
Published Dec 10, 2008 · Updated Apr 22, 2026
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2008-4255 is a critical-severity vulnerability (CVSS 9.3 v2) affecting Office Frontpage (Microsoft), Project (Microsoft), Visual Basic (Microsoft) and 2 more products.
- It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog. Public exploit code is available.
- EPSS estimates a 54% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
CVSS v2
9.3
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
54%
Higher than 98.9% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
No known
Not in a known-exploited catalog
Public exploit code
Available
Proof-of-concept or weaponized module
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Description
Heap-based buffer overflow in mscomct2.ocx (aka Windows Common ActiveX control or Microsoft Animation ActiveX control) in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1 and 2003 SP1, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, and Office Project 2003 SP3 and 2007 Gold and SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an AVI file with a crafted stream length, which triggers an "allocation error" and memory corruption, aka "Windows Common AVI Parsing Overflow Vulnerability."
Affected Products
10 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Office FrontpageMicrosoft | 2002-sp3 | n/a |
| ProjectMicrosoft | 2003-sp3, 2007, 2007-sp1 | n/a |
| Visual BasicMicrosoft | 6.0 | n/a |
| Visual FoxproMicrosoft | 8.0-sp1, 9.0-sp1, 9.0-sp2 | n/a |
| Visual Studio .netMicrosoft | 2002-sp1, 2003-sp1 | n/a |
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Dec 10, 2008
Last updated
Apr 22, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
References
- advisoryADV-2008-3382
- patch32613
- exploithttp://downloads.securityfocus.com/vulnerabilities/exploits/32613.pl
- exploitExploitDB-7431
- otherMS08-070
FAQ
Common Questions.
Heap-based buffer overflow in mscomct2.ocx (aka Windows Common ActiveX control or Microsoft Animation ActiveX control) in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1 and 2003 SP1, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, and Office Project 2003 SP3 and 2007 Gold and SP1 allows remote attackers to execute…
Affected: Office Frontpage (Microsoft) versions 2002-sp3; Project (Microsoft) versions 2003-sp3, 2007, 2007-sp1; Visual Basic (Microsoft) versions 6.0, among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Public exploit code is available.
No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
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