Detect Microsoft Office PowerPoint Code Injection (CVE-2009-0556) in Splunk
Detects exploitation attempts of CVE-2009-0556, a code injection vulnerability in Microsoft Office PowerPoint. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability via crafted PowerPoint files to execute arbitrary code in the context of the logged-in user. This CVE is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access Execution
SPL Detection Query
index=windows (source="WinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-Sysmon/Operational" OR source="WinEventLog:Security")
| eval parent=lower(ParentImage), proc=lower(Image), cmdline=lower(CommandLine)
| where parent="*powerpnt.exe*"
AND (proc IN ("*cmd.exe*", "*powershell.exe*", "*wscript.exe*", "*cscript.exe*", "*mshta.exe*", "*rundll32.exe*", "*regsvr32.exe*")
OR cmdline IN ("*temp*", "*appdata*", "*downloads*"))
| eval suspicionScore=case(
match(proc, "(?i)(powershell|cmd|wscript|cscript|mshta)"), 3,
match(cmdline, "(?i)(temp|appdata|downloads)"), 2,
1=1, 1
)
| where suspicionScore >= 2
| stats count, values(proc) as ChildProcesses, values(cmdline) as CommandLines, earliest(_time) as firstSeen, latest(_time) as lastSeen by host, parent, user
| sort -countIdentifies PowerPoint spawning shell interpreters or writing files to suspicious directories, indicating possible CVE-2009-0556 exploitation.
Data Sources
Required Sourcetypes
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate PowerPoint macros used in business workflows that invoke scripts
- Automated document processing pipelines using COM automation
- Security awareness or red team exercises using crafted PowerPoint files
Other platforms for CVE-2009-0556
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1PowerPoint Spawning cmd.exe (Simulated CVE-2009-0556 Payload Execution)
Expected signal: Process creation event: parent=POWERPNT.EXE, child=cmd.exe with arguments '/c whoami'
- Test 2PowerPoint Spawning PowerShell with Encoded Command
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Image=powershell.exe, ParentImage=powerpnt.exe, CommandLine contains -EncodedCommand
- Test 3Crafted PPT File Drop to Temp Directory
Expected signal: File creation event: FileName=exploit_test.ppt, FolderPath contains \Temp\
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2009-0556 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.