CVE-2012-0184 in Excel
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1; Office 2008 and 2011 for Mac; Excel Viewer; and Office Compatibility Pack SP2 and SP3 do not properly handle memory during the opening of files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted spreadsheet, aka "Excel SXLI Record Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2021
The CVE-2012-0184 vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Excel products that affects multiple versions across different platforms including Windows and Mac operating systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the handling of SXLI records within Excel files, which are used for storing pivot table data and other structured information. The flaw manifests when Excel processes specially crafted spreadsheet files that contain malformed SXLI records, leading to improper memory management during file opening operations. Security researchers have classified this issue as a memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited remotely, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may unknowingly open malicious files from untrusted sources. The vulnerability impacts a wide range of Microsoft Office products including Excel 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, 2010 Gold and SP1, Office 2008 and 2011 for Mac, Excel Viewer, and the Office Compatibility Pack SP2 and SP3, indicating the widespread nature of this memory handling flaw.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during the parsing of SXLI records within Excel files. When a maliciously crafted spreadsheet is opened, the Excel application fails to properly validate the structure and size of these records, leading to buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. This memory corruption occurs in the Excel application's parsing engine that processes these specific record types, causing the application to behave unpredictably and potentially allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running Excel. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through simple file opening operations without requiring any special user interaction beyond opening the malicious file, making it an ideal candidate for drive-by download attacks or phishing campaigns. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are direct consequences of improper memory handling.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-0184 extends beyond simple code execution to encompass significant security risks for organizations relying on Microsoft Office applications. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to systems, escalate privileges, and potentially establish persistent backdoors through the execution of malicious code. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to target systems, allowing them to compromise endpoints through email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where users frequently open spreadsheet files from external sources, making it a prime target for targeted attacks. The widespread adoption of affected Excel versions across organizations means that many systems remain vulnerable, creating a substantial attack surface for threat actors. Organizations using older versions of Microsoft Office or those that have not applied the relevant security patches face significant risk of exploitation, as the vulnerability can be used to bypass traditional security controls and gain unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-0184 require immediate action from organizations to address the vulnerability through multiple defensive layers. The most effective approach involves applying Microsoft security updates and patches as soon as they become available, which address the underlying memory handling issues in the Excel parsing engine. System administrators should implement strict file validation policies, particularly for spreadsheet files received from external sources, and consider deploying application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of unauthorized Office applications. Network-level defenses such as email filtering systems and web proxies should be configured to block potentially malicious Office files, while endpoint protection solutions should be updated to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.005 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can use the executed code to establish further footholds within compromised systems. Organizations should also consider implementing user education programs to reduce the risk of accidental exploitation through social engineering attacks that rely on users opening malicious Excel files. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify systems running affected versions of Excel that have not yet received patches, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the organization's attack surface.