Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and 7 does not properly handle objects in memory that (1) were not properly initialized or (2) are deleted, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving a call to the getElementsByTagName method for the STYLE tag name, selection of the single element in the returned list, and a change to the outerHTML property of this element, related to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and mshtml.dll, aka "HTML Object Memory Corruption Vulnerability." NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information. NOTE: this issue was originally assigned CVE-2009-4054, but Microsoft assigned a duplicate identifier of CVE-2009-3672. CVE consumers should use this identifier instead of CVE-2009-4054.
CVE-2009-3672
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 72%
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 99.4%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 2, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (22)
- secure@microsofthttp://secunia.com/advisories/37448
- secure@microsofthttp://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/515749
- secure@microsofthttp://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/977981.mspx
- secure@microsofthttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/507984/100/0/threaded
- secure@microsofthttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37085
- secure@microsofthttp://www.securitytracker.com/id?1023293
- secure@microsofthttp://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/zero-day-internet-explorer-exploit-published
- secure@microsofthttp://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-342A.html
- secure@microsofthttp://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3301
- secure@microsofthttps://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-072
- secure@microsofthttps://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6381
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://secunia.com/advisories/37448
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/515749
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/977981.mspx
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/507984/100/0/threaded
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 3× in last 7d / 21× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-04 06:27 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-10 22:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:07 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-30 14:28 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-30 14:28 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-24 16:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(2 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-16547✓ verifiedFirst seen Jul 12, 2010
Microsoft Internet Explorer - Style getElementsByTagName Memory Corruption (MS09-072) (Metasploit)
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/windows/browser/ms09_072_style_object✓ verifiedFirst seen Nov 20, 2009
MS09-072 Microsoft Internet Explorer Style getElementsByTagName Memory Corruption
Open source ↗
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Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-3672?
When was CVE-2009-3672 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-3672 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-3672?
Dependency Blast Radius
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