CVE-2013-1315 in Excel
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, and 2013; Office Web Apps 2010; Excel 2003 SP3, 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, 2013, and 2013 RT; Office for Mac 2011; Excel Viewer; and Office Compatibility Pack SP3 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting multiple Microsoft Office products and SharePoint Server versions, with implications spanning from desktop applications to server environments. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of malformed Office documents during parsing operations, creating opportunities for remote code execution or denial of service conditions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious Office documents that trigger memory corruption when processed by vulnerable applications, particularly affecting the Office Web Apps and Excel components that handle document parsing and rendering.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These weaknesses occur during the processing of structured document formats where applications fail to properly validate input data before performing memory operations. The flaw manifests when Office applications attempt to parse maliciously constructed Office documents, leading to buffer overflows or memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects both desktop Office clients and server-side SharePoint components, creating a broad attack surface that can be exploited from remote locations without requiring authentication.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends across enterprise environments where Microsoft Office applications are widely deployed, particularly in scenarios involving document sharing and collaboration. The remote exploit capability means that attackers can compromise systems simply by enticing users to open malicious documents, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted attacks. SharePoint Server versions are especially vulnerable as they often serve as document repositories and collaboration platforms where users frequently access external documents. The vulnerability can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation, while denial of service conditions can disrupt business operations and document collaboration workflows. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) techniques, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious payloads and establish persistent access.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Microsoft security patches addressing the vulnerability, along with network-based protections such as content filtering and email scanning to prevent malicious documents from reaching end users. Organizations should implement strict document validation policies, disable automatic opening of Office documents from untrusted sources, and maintain updated antivirus signatures that can detect malicious Office files. System administrators should consider implementing application control measures to restrict execution of vulnerable Office applications and ensure that SharePoint servers are properly hardened with security updates. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential exploitation vectors, while user awareness training programs should emphasize the dangers of opening unexpected Office documents from unknown sources. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous behavior that may indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual document processing activities or memory access patterns that could indicate successful exploitation of the memory corruption vulnerability.