CVE-2004-2482: Microsoft Outlook 2000 and 2003, when configured to use Microsoft Word 2000 or 2003 as the e-mail editor an...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This old Microsoft Office issue could make Outlook fetch content from a message when a user forwards it, if Word is used as the email editor. The sources say this might allow arbitrary code execution. Business risk is mainly in legacy environments still running Outlook/Word 2000 or 2003. Exposure is likely limited to organizations retaining Outlook 2000 or 2003 with Word 2000 or 2003 set as the email editor. The described trigger is forwarding email, so passive mailbox presence alone is not enough based on the bundle. Treat this as high priority only if legacy Office 2000/2003 remains in use. For modern Office estates, priority is low but should still drive verification that unsupported clients are absent. Mitigation focus: Inventory and retire Outlook 2000/2003 and Word 2000/2003 installations.; Disable Word as the Outlook email editor on any remaining affected clients.; Check Microsoft or vendor guidance for historical patches or compensating controls..

Prepared

Jun 29, 2026, 18:15 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.