CVE-2008-1455 in PowerPoint Viewer
Summary
by MITRE
A "memory calculation error" in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP2, and 2007 through SP1; Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 through SP1; and Office 2004 for Mac allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a PowerPoint file with crafted list values that trigger memory corruption, aka "Parsing Overflow Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical memory calculation error that affects multiple versions of Microsoft Office applications including PowerPoint 2000 through 2007, the Office Compatibility Pack, and Office 2004 for Mac. The flaw manifests when processing PowerPoint files containing specially crafted list values that cause memory corruption during parsing operations. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, where improper memory handling leads to unauthorized code execution. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered remotely through malicious PowerPoint files, making it a prime target for phishing attacks and social engineering campaigns. Attackers exploit this weakness by crafting PowerPoint presentations with malformed list structures that cause the application to miscalculate memory allocation during file parsing, ultimately leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation as it affects a wide range of Microsoft Office products that were widely deployed in enterprise environments. Organizations using these older versions of Office face significant risk since the vulnerability can be triggered simply by opening a malicious presentation file, regardless of the user's security awareness or system protections. The memory calculation error specifically occurs during the parsing of list data structures within PowerPoint files, where the application fails to properly validate the size of list elements before attempting to allocate memory for them. This allows attackers to craft presentations that cause the application to allocate insufficient memory for list data, leading to buffer overflows that can be manipulated to execute malicious code with the privileges of the logged-in user. The vulnerability demonstrates the classic characteristics of a remote code execution flaw that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves the exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain execution capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from organizations to patch affected systems or implement strict file validation policies. Microsoft released security updates for all affected versions, but many organizations may still be running unsupported software versions that remain vulnerable to exploitation. The recommended approach includes applying the latest security patches from Microsoft, implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted Office files, and deploying email filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious PowerPoint attachments. Network-based mitigations such as sandboxing Office applications when processing files from untrusted sources can also provide additional protection layers. Organizations should also consider implementing user education programs to raise awareness about phishing attacks that commonly exploit this type of vulnerability, as social engineering remains a primary delivery method for such attacks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and demonstrates how legacy software can continue to pose significant risks even years after initial discovery, making it a persistent concern for enterprise security teams.