CVE-2006-2492: Microsoft Word malformed object pointer buffer overflow

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 17 September 2026. Confidence: high.

high priorityCVSS 8.8, CISA KEV listing, and a high EPSS percentile indicate active exploitation risk, though the flaw requires user interaction and affects legacy Office versions.

What it is

Microsoft Word in Office 2000 SP3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP1/SP2, and Microsoft Works Suites through 2006 contains a classic buffer overflow (CWE-120) triggered by a malformed object pointer. A user-assisted attacker can execute arbitrary code when a crafted document is opened, and the flaw was originally reported as a zero-day attack in May 2006.

Impact

Successful exploitation gives the attacker arbitrary code execution in the context of the user who opened the document, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact per the CVSS vector. This can lead to full compromise of the workstation and any credentials or data accessible to that user.

Attack surface

Reached over the network via a malicious Word document delivered by email, web, or file share, requiring the victim to open the file (UI:R) with no prior authentication (PR:N). No server-side or remote unauthenticated trigger is described; the attack depends on user interaction.

Exploitation

The record shows CISA KEV listing (added 2022-06-08) and an EPSS 30-day probability of 0.48107 (98.8th percentile), and reference tags include Exploit, indicating known exploitation. No ransomware campaign use is documented.

What to do

• Apply the Microsoft security update for MS06-027 (and the associated advisory 919637) to affected Office and Works installations.
• Upgrade or retire unsupported Office 2000/XP/2003 and Works Suites versions that no longer receive security fixes.
• Block or quarantine untrusted Office document attachments at the email and web gateway, and enforce Mark-of-the-Web/Protected View so documents open in a restricted mode.
• Run users with least privilege and disable unnecessary macros and ActiveX to limit post-exploitation impact.

Detection

• Hunt for Word processes (winword.exe) spawning child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or wscript.exe, which is abnormal for document opening.
• Monitor for Office applications loading or writing unusual files in temp directories or making outbound network connections shortly after a document is opened.
• Alert on email attachments or downloads of Office documents from untrusted senders or newly registered domains, especially where the file is opened by Word.
• Review endpoint logs for crashes or access violations in winword.exe consistent with malformed object pointer handling.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.