CVE-2013-3847 in Word
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Word Automation Services in SharePoint Server 2010 SP1, Word Web App 2010 SP1 in Office Web Apps 2010, Word 2003 SP3, Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP1, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Word Viewer allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted Office document, aka "Word Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-3848, CVE-2013-3849, and CVE-2013-3858.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3847 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Microsoft Word Automation Services and related Office applications that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through maliciously crafted Office documents. This vulnerability specifically affects SharePoint Server 2010 SP1, Word Web App 2010 SP1, Office Web Apps 2010, Word 2003 SP3, Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP1, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Word Viewer components. The flaw stems from improper handling of memory allocation and processing within the Office document parsing mechanisms, creating exploitable conditions that adversaries can leverage to gain unauthorized system access or disrupt service availability. The vulnerability operates through the manipulation of Office document structures that trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions during document rendering or processing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of memory management weaknesses in Microsoft Office applications when processing specially crafted Office files such as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, and other document formats. Attackers can construct malicious documents that, when opened or processed by vulnerable applications, cause memory corruption through improper bounds checking, integer overflows, or heap corruption scenarios. The vulnerability specifically targets the Word Automation Services component which provides document processing capabilities for SharePoint environments, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where SharePoint servers host and process numerous Office documents. This memory corruption can manifest as arbitrary code execution within the context of the affected application's privileges or cause the application to crash and consume system resources, resulting in denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3847 extends significantly across enterprise environments, particularly those utilizing SharePoint Server 2010 with Word Automation Services or Office Web Apps 2010. Organizations running these vulnerable configurations face potential compromise of their document processing infrastructure, allowing attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected application or service account. The vulnerability is especially concerning in environments where SharePoint servers process untrusted documents from external sources, as it enables attackers to establish persistent access to network resources or escalate privileges within the organization's infrastructure. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of critical business operations that depend on document processing capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-3847 should include immediate implementation of Microsoft security patches and updates for all affected Office applications and SharePoint components. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems to untrusted document sources, while also deploying application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of Office applications in potentially hostile environments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations, both of which are common indicators of memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving execution through Office applications and privilege escalation through memory corruption exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing automated document scanning and sandboxing mechanisms for processing untrusted Office documents, while maintaining detailed monitoring of Office application processes for signs of exploitation attempts or unusual memory usage patterns.