CVE-2016-3313 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2013 RT SP1, and 2016, Word 2016 for Mac, and Word Viewer allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2025
The Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3313 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple versions of Microsoft Office software across different platforms and operating systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the word processing components of Microsoft Office suite including Office 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2013 RT SP1, 2016, Word 2016 for Mac, and Word Viewer applications. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be exploited by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Office applications are extensively used for document creation and sharing.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation within the Microsoft Office Word processing engine. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, the vulnerable code path triggers memory corruption that allows attackers to overwrite critical memory locations and inject malicious code into the running process. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes "Out-of-bounds Read" conditions, and more specifically relates to memory corruption vulnerabilities that can lead to privilege escalation and code execution. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it can be delivered through email attachments, web downloads, or any means that delivers a malicious Office document to a victim's system.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-3313 extends far beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within compromised networks. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can establish persistent access, escalate privileges, and potentially move laterally across the network to compromise additional systems. The vulnerability's ability to affect multiple Office versions and platforms means that organizations with diverse software environments face broad exposure, making it an attractive target for attackers seeking to maximize their impact. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1059 category, which covers Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the executed code to run additional malicious commands and scripts.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security updates and patches released through Microsoft Update or Windows Update services. System administrators should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as email filtering solutions, sandboxing mechanisms for document processing, and user education programs to reduce the likelihood of users opening malicious attachments. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual network traffic patterns or suspicious file access behaviors. The vulnerability's widespread impact across multiple Office versions makes it crucial for organizations to maintain comprehensive patch management processes and conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited by threat actors.