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CVE-2006-2492

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Microsoft Word. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Microsoft’s, see Microsoft flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2006-2492 is a security flaw in Microsoft Word, part of Microsoft Office. Attackers can run their own code on Microsoft Word. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 8 Jun 2022.[1]

Microsoft Word is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Microsoft has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it a malformed object pointer in Microsoft Word. In its words: “Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works Suites contain a malformed object pointer which allows attackers to execute code.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “Buffer overflow in Microsoft Word in Office 2000 SP3, Office XP SP3, Office 2003 Sp1 and SP2, and Microsoft Works Suites through 2006, allows user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed object pointer, as originally reported by ISC on 20060519 for a zero-day attack.”[2]

The underlying weakness is buffer overflow (CWE-120), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Microsoft’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Microsoft Word.

Every device with Microsoft Word needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 8 Jun 2022, 5,863 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 22 Jun 2022 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 48%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

Microsoft has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]

  1. Update Microsoft Word now.On Windows: Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then restart. Office updates come the same way, or from any Office app: File, Account, Update Options. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 48%.[4]

See also

Other Microsoft Word flaws

Other Microsoft flaws

  • CVE-2026-96951, Microsoft Windows: command injection ·
  • CVE-2026-65660, Microsoft SharePoint: code injection ·
  • CVE-2026-85880, Microsoft Windows: heap-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2026-81963, Microsoft Windows: link following ·
  • CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·

Other buffer overflow flaws

  • CVE-2025-43520, Apple devices: classic buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2022-37055, D-Link Routers: buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2025-20333, Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance and Secure Firewall Threat Defense: secure firewall adaptive security appliance (ASA) and secure firewall threat defense (FTD) buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2020-15069, Sophos XG Firewall: buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2023-41064, Apple iOS, iPadOS, and macOS: imageIO buffer overflow ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2019-7195, QNAP Photo Station: path traversal ·
  • CVE-2019-7194, QNAP Photo Station: path traversal ·
  • CVE-2019-7193, QNAP QTS: improper input validation ·
  • CVE-2019-7192, QNAP Photo Station: improper access control ·
  • CVE-2019-5825, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: out-of-bounds write ·

Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in June 2022

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Word Malformed Object Pointer Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 8 Jun 2022.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2006-2492 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 20 May 2006.
  3. ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: docs.microsoft.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.481, percentile 98.9, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2006-2492”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.