CVE-2008-4030 in Word
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office Word 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 Gold and SP1; Outlook 2007 Gold and SP1; Word Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Gold and SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted control words in (1) an RTF file or (2) a rich text e-mail message, which triggers incorrect memory allocation and memory corruption, aka "Word RTF Object Parsing Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-4028.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-4030 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting multiple Microsoft Office products including Word 2000 through 2007, Outlook 2007, Word Viewer 2003, and the Office Compatibility Pack. This vulnerability specifically targets the RTF (Rich Text Format) object parsing mechanism within these applications, creating a pathway for remote code execution through maliciously crafted control words in RTF files or rich text email messages. The flaw stems from improper handling of memory allocation during the parsing of RTF content, which allows attackers to manipulate memory structures and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of RTF control words that are used to format text within rich text documents. When Microsoft Office applications process these control words, they fail to properly validate the memory allocation required for processing certain formatting commands. This leads to a situation where attacker-controlled data can overwrite memory locations, causing heap corruption and potentially enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 as "Out-of-bounds Read" and CWE-787 as "Out-of-bounds Write," both of which are fundamental memory safety issues that have been extensively documented in the cybersecurity community. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a code injection technique under T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell," though the initial exploitation vector relies on the RTF parsing vulnerability rather than PowerShell itself.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across numerous enterprise environments where Microsoft Office is widely deployed, particularly affecting organizations that receive email messages or process RTF documents from untrusted sources. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by embedding malicious RTF content in email messages or by distributing infected RTF files that, when opened by an affected application, trigger the memory corruption. The remote execution capability means that organizations do not need to have physical access to target systems, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for email-based attacks. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Microsoft Office versions, including both the main Office suite applications and the compatibility pack, indicating that the flaw exists at a fundamental parsing level rather than being isolated to specific product versions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4030 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems with Microsoft security updates, as well as implementing defensive measures such as email filtering to block RTF attachments from untrusted sources. Organizations should disable automatic opening of RTF content in email clients and implement sandboxing techniques for document processing. Network-level controls including firewalls and email security appliances can be configured to scan for and block known malicious RTF patterns. Additionally, user education regarding the dangers of opening unknown RTF files and email attachments remains crucial for reducing the attack surface. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include multiple layers of protection beyond just endpoint security. Microsoft's security advisory for this vulnerability specifically recommended updating to the latest service packs and security updates for all affected Office products, as the flaw was addressed through improved memory management and validation routines in subsequent patches.