CVE-2016-3317 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2010 SP2, Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, 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 • 09/13/2022
The Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3317 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple versions of Microsoft Word across different platforms including Office 2010 SP2, Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, Word 2016 for Mac, and Word Viewer. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which encompasses out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The flaw manifests when Microsoft Office applications process specially crafted malicious files that trigger memory corruption during document parsing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper input validation and memory management within Microsoft Word's document processing engine. When a user opens a maliciously crafted Word document, the application's parsing logic fails to properly validate the structure and content of the file, leading to buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions that can be exploited by remote attackers. This memory corruption typically occurs in the handling of specific document elements such as embedded objects, formatting structures, or complex document metadata that are processed during document rendering or parsing phases.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-3317 is severe and far-reaching within enterprise environments where Microsoft Office is extensively deployed. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on target systems with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's remote exploit capability means that attackers can deliver malicious payloads through email attachments, web downloads, or other remote delivery mechanisms without requiring local system access. This makes it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources or where email security controls may be insufficient.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security patches released in June 2016 as part of the Microsoft Security Response Center's update cycle. Network segmentation and email filtering controls should be enhanced to prevent delivery of suspicious Word documents, while user education regarding safe document handling practices remains crucial. The vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including initial access through malicious documents, execution via fileless malware techniques, and privilege escalation when exploited successfully. System administrators should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and monitoring for unusual file execution patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.