CVE-2016-3315 in OneNote
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft OneNote 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2013 RT SP1, 2016, and 2016 for Mac allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted OneNote file, aka "Microsoft OneNote Information Disclosure Vulnerability."
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/13/2022
The Microsoft OneNote information disclosure vulnerability represents a significant security flaw affecting multiple versions of the popular note-taking application across different platforms. This vulnerability specifically impacts OneNote 2007 SP3, 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2013 RT SP1, 2016, and 2016 for Mac installations, creating a persistent risk across the Microsoft Office ecosystem. The flaw enables remote attackers to extract sensitive information through the manipulation of specially crafted OneNote files, fundamentally compromising the confidentiality of user data stored within the application.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the OneNote file parsing mechanism. When the application processes maliciously constructed OneNote files, it fails to properly validate the structure and content of the file headers, metadata, and embedded objects. This parsing failure creates a condition where sensitive data from the system or application memory can be inadvertently exposed to unauthorized parties. The vulnerability operates at the file format level, exploiting weaknesses in how OneNote handles serialized data structures and embedded references within its proprietary file containers.
From an operational perspective, this information disclosure vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations relying on OneNote for document management and collaboration. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain access to confidential information including but not limited to user credentials, system paths, application configuration details, and potentially sensitive business data stored within OneNote files. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability without requiring physical access to target systems, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where OneNote is extensively used for sharing sensitive documents and meeting notes.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under the information gathering and credential access phases. Security researchers have classified this issue as a privilege escalation vector that can be exploited to obtain system-level information, potentially leading to more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's presence across multiple versions of OneNote indicates a fundamental flaw in the application's architecture that was not adequately addressed through standard security updates, suggesting that attackers can target various organizational environments simultaneously.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting user access to OneNote files from untrusted sources, implementing strict file validation policies, and deploying network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the need for comprehensive application security testing across all supported platforms. System administrators should also consider implementing file type restrictions and content filtering mechanisms to prevent automatic processing of potentially malicious OneNote files. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper input validation and the potential consequences when such security measures are insufficiently implemented in widely deployed applications.
This issue represents a classic example of how file format vulnerabilities can create persistent security risks across multiple software versions and platforms, emphasizing the need for robust security practices throughout the software development lifecycle and the importance of regular security assessments for enterprise applications. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to information exposure and improper input validation underscores the fundamental security principles that were not adequately addressed in the affected OneNote implementations.