CVE-2015-2510 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the Adobe Type Manager Library in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Office 2007 SP3, Office 2010 SP2, Lync 2010, Lync 2010 Attendee, Lync 2013 SP1, Lync Basic 2013 SP1, and Live Meeting 2007 Console allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OpenType font, aka "Graphics Component Buffer Overflow Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2510 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Adobe Type Manager Library component of Microsoft Windows operating systems and Office applications. This vulnerability specifically affects Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2, along with various Microsoft Office versions including Office 2007 SP3, Office 2010 SP2, and Lync 2010 through Lync 2013 SP1. The flaw manifests when processing crafted OpenType font files, creating a pathway for remote code execution attacks that can compromise affected systems. The Adobe Type Manager Library serves as a critical component for font rendering and processing, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal font handling operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the Adobe Type Manager Library implementation. When the library processes malformed OpenType font files, it fails to validate the size and structure of font data before attempting to copy or manipulate memory regions. This inadequate validation allows attackers to craft specially designed font files that exceed the allocated buffer space, resulting in memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite critical memory locations. The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of insufficient boundary checking in memory management operations. The flaw occurs during font parsing operations where the library does not properly validate font table sizes or structure integrity before processing the data.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2510 is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, and file sharing scenarios where users might encounter crafted font files. The remote code execution capability means that successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, establish persistent backdoors, or escalate privileges to SYSTEM level access. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using older Microsoft Office versions and Windows operating systems that may not have received the latest security updates, creating a significant attack surface for threat actors. The vulnerability's presence in Lync and Live Meeting applications further expands the attack surface to collaboration and communication platforms, potentially enabling attackers to compromise enterprise communication systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2510 should prioritize immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's security update channels, specifically addressing the Adobe Type Manager Library vulnerabilities in affected systems. Organizations should implement comprehensive network segmentation and email filtering to prevent the delivery of malicious font files through common attack vectors. System administrators should consider disabling font rendering for untrusted content and implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of potentially malicious font processing operations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for process injection and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation, making defensive measures against these attack patterns crucial. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify systems that may still be running vulnerable versions of affected software components, ensuring comprehensive protection against this and similar font-based exploitation techniques.