CVE DATABASE / CVE-2009-1537
CVE-2009-1537
Microsoft DirectX NULL Byte Overwrite Vulnerability
Confirmed exploited in the wild. Added 2026-05-20.
Federal remediation due 2026-06-03.
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Summary
Unspecified vulnerability in the QuickTime Movie Parser Filter in quartz.dll in DirectShow in Microsoft DirectX 7.0 through 9.0c on Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, and Windows Server 2003 SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted QuickTime media file, as exploited in the wild in May 2009, aka "DirectX NULL Byte Overwrite Vulnerability."
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
| Base score | 8.8 (HIGH) |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Attack vector | NETWORK |
| Attack complexity | LOW |
| Privileges required | NONE |
| User interaction | REQUIRED |
| Scope | UNCHANGED |
| Confidentiality | HIGH |
| Integrity | HIGH |
| Availability | HIGH |
Weakness type (CWE)
Affected products
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References
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2009/05/28/microsoft-security-advisory-971778-vulnerability-in-microsoft-directshow-released.aspx
- http://blogs.technet.com/srd/archive/2009/05/28/new-vulnerability-in-quicktime-parsing.aspx
- http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=6481
- http://osvdb.org/54797
- http://secunia.com/advisories/35268
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/971778.mspx
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/35139
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1022299
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-195A.html
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1445
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1886
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-028
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6237
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2009-1537
Data: NIST NVD + CISA KEV. NVD last modified 2026-05-21. Always verify against the vendor advisory before acting.