CVE-2010-3200 in Word
Summary
by MITRE
MSO.dll in Microsoft Word 2003 SP3 11.8326.11.8324 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and multiple-instance application crash) via a crafted buffer in a Word document, as demonstrated by word_crash_11.8326.8324_poc.doc.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3200 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Microsoft Word 2003 SP3's MSO.dll component. This vulnerability specifically targets the document processing engine that handles various file formats and internal structures within Microsoft Office applications. The flaw manifests when the affected software encounters a specially crafted buffer within a Word document that triggers an improper handling of memory references during document parsing operations. The issue stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize or reject malformed buffer structures before attempting to process them within the application's memory space.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a NULL pointer dereference condition that occurs when the MSO.dll module attempts to access memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated. When a maliciously crafted Word document contains specific buffer configurations, the document parser within Word 2003 SP3 fails to properly validate the buffer boundaries and structure integrity. This failure results in the application attempting to dereference a null pointer, causing an immediate application crash and termination of the Word process. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through simple document opening operations, requiring no special privileges or complex attack vectors.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant disruption for end users and organizations relying on Microsoft Word 2003 for document processing. The denial of service condition affects multiple instances of the application, meaning that when a user opens an affected document, the Word application crashes completely and becomes unavailable for normal use. This affects productivity and can potentially impact business operations where document processing is critical. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where users receive documents from untrusted sources, as simply opening a malicious document can cause the application to crash and potentially render the entire document processing capability unusable until the application is restarted. The crash behavior can be exploited to create persistent availability issues that may require system administrator intervention to resolve.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-476 which describes NULL pointer dereference conditions in software implementations. This weakness category specifically addresses situations where programs attempt to access memory through null pointers, leading to application crashes and potential system instability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service attacks through application-level vulnerabilities. The flaw represents a classic example of how memory corruption vulnerabilities can be exploited to create denial of service conditions without requiring code execution privileges. Organizations should implement proper document validation procedures and consider restricting the opening of documents from untrusted sources as a mitigation strategy. Additionally, the vulnerability underscores the importance of timely patch management and the risks associated with using outdated software versions that may contain unpatched security flaws. The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign document processing operations can be weaponized to create system instability and service disruption, highlighting the critical need for robust input validation and memory safety mechanisms in enterprise software applications.