CVE-2015-6038 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, Excel Viewer, and Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, and 2013 SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/27/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6038 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Microsoft Excel applications across multiple versions and platforms. This vulnerability specifically affects Excel 2007 SP3, Excel 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Excel for Mac 2011, Excel 2016 for Mac, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, Excel Viewer, and Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, and 2013 SP1. The flaw stems from improper handling of memory operations when processing specially crafted Office documents, creating a pathway for remote code execution attacks that can be exploited by threat actors without user interaction.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption, which is classified as CWE-125 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. This particular flaw occurs when Excel fails to properly validate memory boundaries during the parsing of maliciously constructed Office files, leading to buffer overflows or other memory manipulation issues. Attackers can craft specific Office documents that trigger these memory corruption conditions when opened by vulnerable Excel versions, allowing them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious documents hosted on compromised websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6038 is severe and far-reaching within enterprise environments where Microsoft Office applications are widely deployed. Organizations running affected Excel versions face significant risk of compromise from remote attackers who can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to systems, escalate privileges, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's ability to execute arbitrary code without user interaction makes it particularly dangerous in targeted attacks, as users may inadvertently open malicious documents while performing routine tasks. Additionally, the broad scope of affected products means that organizations across multiple platforms and versions must implement immediate mitigation measures to protect their networks from exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6038 should focus on both immediate defensive actions and long-term security improvements. Microsoft released security updates and patches for all affected versions, which should be deployed immediately across all systems running vulnerable Excel applications. Organizations should also implement strict document handling policies, including email filtering, web content filtering, and user education about avoiding suspicious Office documents. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can provide additional layers of protection by limiting the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with several techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access through malicious files and privilege escalation through code execution, making comprehensive security measures essential for effective defense against this threat.