CVE-2001-0538

published 2001-08-14

CVE-2001-0538: Microsoft Outlook View ActiveX Control in Microsoft Outlook 2002 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a malicious HTML e-mail…

Priority P3 47 critical 10 CVSS 2.0

AV N AC L Au N C C I C A C

EXPLOIT

Microsoft Outlook View ActiveX Control in Microsoft Outlook 2002 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a malicious HTML e-mail message or web page.

Affected

1 ranges

Vendor	Product	Version range	Fixed in
microsoft	outlook	<= 2002	—

Detection & IOCs extracted from sources · hover to see the quote

command C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CMD.EXE /c DIR /A /P /S C:\↗

process WScript.Shell↗

• → The Microsoft Outlook View Control ActiveX is marked 'safe for scripting', allowing untrusted scripts (e.g., in HTML email or web pages) to instantiate it and access/manipulate Outlook email objects without user interaction. Detect instantiation of this control from web/email contexts. ↗
• → Exploit code uses a delayed script execution pattern (setTimeout with ~2000ms) to trigger malicious ActiveX operations after page/email load. Monitor for setTimeout-based ActiveX invocations in HTML email or web content. ↗
• → Exploitation chain pivots from the Outlook View Control to spawning WScript.Shell via CreateObject, then executing arbitrary commands via CMD.EXE. Monitor Outlook processes for child process creation of cmd.exe or wscript.exe. ↗
• → Scripts access email body and subject through the Outlook View Control selection object (sel.Item(1).Body / .HTMLBody / .Subject). Anomalous script-level access to Outlook mail item properties from browser or HTML email context is indicative of exploitation. ↗

• · Exploitation requires the victim to have at least one message present in Outlook XP's Inbox at the time the malicious HTML email or web page is rendered. ↗
• · The vulnerability affects Microsoft Outlook 98, 2000, and 2002 (Outlook XP) and earlier versions where the Outlook View Control ActiveX is present and marked safe for scripting. ↗

CVEs like this are exactly what “Exploited This Week” covers.

Every Monday: what got weaponized or added to CISA KEV in the last seven days — each CVE cross-linked to its PoC, Nuclei template, and detection rule. Free, one email a week, unsubscribe in one click.