CVE-2015-0086 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Word 2007 SP3, Office 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Word 2013 Gold and SP1, Word 2013 RT Gold and SP1, Word Viewer, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP2, Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2013 Gold and SP1, Web Applications 2010 SP2, and Web Apps Server 2013 Gold and SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted RTF document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Word applications that affects multiple versions spanning from Office 2007 through Office 2013. The vulnerability specifically manifests when processing Rich Text Format documents, which are commonly used for document exchange between different office applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions simply by crafting a malicious RTF document that exploits improper memory handling during document parsing. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues that are frequently targeted by cyber adversaries due to their potential for privilege escalation and system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of RTF document structures within Microsoft Word's parsing engine. When the application encounters a malformed RTF document, the memory management routines fail to properly handle the unexpected data structures, leading to buffer overflows or other memory corruption scenarios. The Office application's RTF parser does not adequately sanitize input parameters, allowing crafted sequences to overwrite adjacent memory locations or manipulate program execution flow. This memory corruption can result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running the vulnerable application, or it can cause the application to crash and consume system resources, leading to denial of service conditions. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read errors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation scenarios, as it affects a broad range of Microsoft Office products and deployment environments. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various attack vectors including email attachments, web-based document delivery, or file sharing platforms where RTF documents are commonly encountered. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Office applications are frequently used for document processing and collaboration. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and disruption of business operations. The widespread adoption of these Office versions makes this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking broad impact, as it affects legacy systems that may not receive timely updates. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes exploiting execution flow through memory corruption, and T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch application and network-based protections. Microsoft released security updates addressing this vulnerability, and organizations should prioritize deployment of these patches across all affected systems. Network administrators can implement additional protections such as blocking RTF file extensions at network boundaries or using sandboxing technologies to isolate document processing. Email filtering solutions should be configured to scan RTF attachments for malicious content patterns, and users should be educated about the risks of opening untrusted documents. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of Office applications in potentially compromised environments. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against multiple attack vectors simultaneously.