CVE-2013-0082 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 and 2007 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted WordPerfect document (.wpd) file, aka "WPD File Format Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0082 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 and Office 2007 Service Pack 3 installations. This security issue stems from insufficient input validation within the WordPerfect document format parser, specifically when processing maliciously crafted .wpd files. The vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. Attackers can exploit this weakness by enticing victims to open a specially crafted WordPerfect document that triggers a buffer overflow or memory corruption scenario within the Office application's document handling components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when Microsoft Office attempts to parse and render a malicious WordPerfect file, causing the application to allocate insufficient memory for processing the document structure. This inadequate memory management results in a heap-based buffer overflow or stack corruption that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the targeted user. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1203, which involves exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and code execution. The vulnerability's remote attack surface means that simply opening the malicious document can trigger the exploit without requiring user interaction beyond the initial file opening.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0082 extends beyond immediate code execution capabilities to encompass significant enterprise security risks. Organizations running affected Office versions face potential compromise of user workstations, lateral movement opportunities within networks, and possible data exfiltration scenarios. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require sophisticated attack infrastructure or extensive reconnaissance, making it particularly dangerous for widespread deployment. Security analysts have noted that this vulnerability can be chained with other exploits to bypass modern security mitigations such as DEP and ASLR, increasing the overall threat potential. The affected Microsoft Office versions represent legacy systems that may not receive continued security updates, amplifying the risk for organizations that have not migrated to supported platforms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-0082 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Microsoft as the primary defense mechanism. Organizations must ensure that all Office 2003 and 2007 installations receive the applicable security updates that address the WPD file format parsing vulnerability. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can provide additional layers of protection by preventing execution of unknown or untrusted document formats. Security teams should implement email filtering solutions that can detect and quarantine potentially malicious WordPerfect documents, particularly those with .wpd extensions. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1059, which involves the use of command and scripting interpreters, making it essential for organizations to monitor for suspicious command execution patterns following exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should specifically target legacy Office installations to identify systems that remain exposed to this and similar historical vulnerabilities.