CVE-2006-1318 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2003 SP1 and SP2, Office XP SP3, Office 2000 SP3, Office 2004 for Mac, and Office X for Mac do not properly parse record lengths, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed control in an Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Control Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2022
This vulnerability resides in Microsoft Office applications across multiple versions including Office 2003 SP1 and SP2, Office XP SP3, Office 2000 SP3, as well as Office 2004 for Mac and Office X for Mac. The core issue manifests in the improper parsing of record lengths within Office document formats, specifically affecting how the software handles control structures embedded in documents. This flaw represents a classic buffer overflow condition where the application fails to validate the length of data structures before processing them, creating opportunities for malicious code execution.
The technical exploitation occurs when a remote attacker crafts a malicious Office document containing a malformed control structure with incorrect record length specifications. When the vulnerable Office application attempts to parse this document, it processes the malformed control without proper validation of the record length field, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-on user. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of length fields, and falls under the broader category of input validation flaws that enable buffer overflow conditions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments where Office documents are frequently shared and opened by multiple users. The remote nature of the attack means that simply opening a malicious document can trigger exploitation, making it particularly dangerous in email environments or shared document repositories. Attackers can craft documents that appear legitimate but contain hidden malicious payloads, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within networks. The vulnerability affects multiple Office versions and platforms, amplifying its potential impact across diverse computing environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security patches, which address the record length parsing issue in Office applications. Network segmentation and email filtering should be enhanced to prevent delivery of suspicious Office documents, while users should be trained to avoid opening documents from untrusted sources. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies can help prevent execution of malicious code even if exploitation attempts occur. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203, "Exploitation for Client Execution," highlighting the remote code execution capabilities that make this particularly dangerous for enterprise security. Regular security assessments should verify that all Office installations are patched and that proper security controls are in place to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities.