CVE-2014-6334 in Word
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Word 2007 SP3, Word 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 Bad Index Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-6334 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting Microsoft Word 2007 Service Pack 3 Word Viewer and Office Compatibility Pack SP3. This vulnerability falls under the category of remote code execution vulnerabilities and specifically targets the parsing mechanisms within Microsoft Office document processing components. The flaw manifests when these applications encounter specially crafted Office documents that contain malformed index structures, leading to unpredictable memory behavior that adversaries can exploit for malicious purposes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the Office document parser, particularly when handling complex index entries in structured document formats. When the vulnerable applications process these malformed documents, the parsing logic fails to properly validate array bounds and memory allocation parameters, resulting in buffer overflows or heap corruption conditions. This memory corruption creates opportunities for attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code within the context of the affected application's privileges. The vulnerability is classified as a memory corruption issue under CWE-121, which specifically addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution capabilities to include potential denial of service scenarios that can disrupt business operations. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious document sharing platforms. The exploitation process typically involves crafting a malicious Office document that triggers the memory corruption when opened by an affected application, potentially leading to complete system compromise if the user has administrative privileges. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes exploitation of software vulnerabilities for remote code execution.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6334 should prioritize immediate patch application from Microsoft as the primary defense mechanism, given that this vulnerability was addressed through the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-051 released in November 2014. Organizations should implement strict document validation policies, including sandboxing document processing environments, disabling automatic execution of Office documents from untrusted sources, and deploying email filtering solutions that can detect and block suspicious Office document attachments. Network-based defenses should include monitoring for suspicious file transfers and implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of Office applications to trusted environments only. Additionally, regular security awareness training for end users regarding the dangers of opening unexpected Office documents can significantly reduce exploitation success rates, as social engineering remains a common initial attack vector for this class of vulnerability.