CVE-2006-1540

Home/CVE/MSO.DLL in Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP (2002), and Office 2003 allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of

CVE

MSO.DLL in Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP (2002), and Office 2003 allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of

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" byte sequence with an "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.

HIGH · CVSS 9.3 EPSS 0.70342

Act now

EPSS ≥ 0.50 - high probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
EPSS percentile: top 1% of all CVEs by exploitation likelihood
Public exploit or PoC is available
CVSS base score ≥ 7.0

Sigma rules8 YARA rules0

Look this up elsewhere - one-click external pivots

NVD CVE.org CISA Vulners Exploit-DB GitHub PoC VulnCheck KEV GreyNoise

▸ How to read a CVE - triage first, then detect and patch

This page is every public fact about CVE-2006-1540, cross-linked. Its job is to answer one question fast - does this need my attention now? - and then hand you the two things you do about it. Here is how an analyst reads it.

Triage: should I act now? Four signals, and they are not interchangeable:

CVSSseverity - how bad it is IF exploited, 0-10. A high CVSS alone is not urgency; a flaw can be a perfect 10 and never actually be attacked. EPSSprobability - a model’s estimate of the chance it is exploited in the next 30 days, 0-1. This is the “will it actually happen” signal. CISA KEVconfirmed - it is being exploited in the wild right now. The strongest signal on the page; KEV beats any score. Weaponisedavailability - public exploits / PoCs, and especially Metasploit modules rated Excellent / Great. Reliable, packaged exploit code means low-skill attackers can use it today.

How they combine: KEV, or a dependable Metasploit module, means patch now regardless of CVSS. High CVSS + low EPSS + no exploit is real but not an emergency - schedule it. Low CVSS but KEV-listed still gets patched now. The verdict above already weighed these for you; this is how it got there.

Then what - two workflows:

Detectwhen you cannot patch today, follow this CVE to the ATT&CK techniques it enables, then Build a SIEM detection (the green button) - author a rule, test it in Atomic, deploy it. That buys visibility while the patch waits. PatchAffected products / packages tell you if you are exposed; Fixed versions by distribution and Vendor advisories give the exact version that closes it.

Reading order for the panels below: verdict + badges, then Public exploits / Metasploit (is it weaponised), then ATT&CK techniques + Sigma / IDS rules (can I detect it), then Affected products / packages + Fixed versions (am I exposed, what patches it), then Threat actors / IOCs (who uses it), then Scoring & timeline / references (the evidence).

View attack path from CVE-2006-1540

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ATT&CK techniques

Techniques this CVE enables - linked via CWECAPECATT&CK. High◆ = named directly in ATT&CK or Nuclei templates.

T1027.006 · HTML Smuggling T1027.009 · Embedded Payloads T1564.009 · Resource Forking

▤ Build a SIEM detection for these techniques

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CAPEC attack patterns

Attack patterns this CVE enables - the bridge from weakness to ATT&CK technique.

CAPEC-CAPEC-242 · Code Injection CAPEC-CAPEC-35 · Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files CAPEC-CAPEC-77 · Manipulating User-Controlled Variables

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Weakness Classification

CWE-94Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

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Affected Products & Versions

microsoft officeall versions

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Public Exploits & PoCs

These PoC and exploit links come from public sources and are not verified to be safe or functional. Review the code before running anything, and treat unverified entries as untrusted.
dosMicrosoft Office Products - Array Index Bounds Error (PoC)verified
pocPublic PoC (nvd-reference)
pocPublic PoC (nvd-reference)
pocsecuritytracker.com · id?1015855securitytracker.com
pocwww.securityfocus.com · 17252www.securityfocus.com
pocwww.exploit-db.com · 1615www.exploit-db.com

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Sigma Hunt Rules

Exact rules name this CVE ID. Product rules name an affected product in their title. Related rules cover techniques used by actors who exploited this CVE. Showing the most relevant matches; the complete related set is on the full drill-down.

producthighSuspicious Microsoft Office Child Process - MacOS

producthighCode Executed Via Office Add-in XLL File

producthighPotential Persistence Via Microsoft Office Add-In

producthighPotential Persistence Via Microsoft Office Startup Folder

producthighFile With Uncommon Extension Created By An Office Application

producthighOffice Macro File Creation From Suspicious Process

Show all 8 top matches

producthighUncommon File Created In Office Startup Folder

producthighPotentially Suspicious Office Document Executed From Trusted Location

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