CVE-2016-7213 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, and Office Compatibility Pack SP3 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 • 09/29/2022
The Microsoft Excel memory corruption vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7213 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple versions of Microsoft Office suite applications including Excel 2007 through Excel 2016 across various platforms. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations within the Excel application when processing specially crafted Office documents, creating an exploitable condition that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw specifically manifests during the parsing and rendering of malformed Office document structures, particularly those containing maliciously constructed data that triggers buffer overflow conditions or other memory corruption scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of memory management errors within Excel's document processing engine, where insufficient validation occurs when handling complex Office file formats such as .xls, .xlsx, and .xlsb files. Attackers can craft malicious documents that contain specially designed data structures which, when opened by an affected Excel version, cause the application to improperly allocate or access memory regions, leading to potential code execution. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations, both of which are common indicators of memory corruption vulnerabilities in software applications. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the Microsoft Office ecosystem, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through social engineering tactics such as email attachments or malicious web downloads.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7213 extends beyond simple code execution, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain full control over affected systems, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability's remote exploit capability means that attackers do not require physical access to target systems, allowing for large-scale attacks through phishing campaigns or compromised websites. This vulnerability directly maps to several techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access through malicious files and privilege escalation through code execution. Organizations utilizing affected Excel versions face significant risk exposure, as the vulnerability can be exploited through routine document handling activities, making it particularly insidious for enterprise environments where users frequently open Office documents from external sources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7213 primarily involve applying the official Microsoft security patches released in the July 2016 security updates, which address the underlying memory corruption issues through improved input validation and memory management routines. System administrators should implement strict document handling policies, including disabling automatic opening of Office documents from untrusted sources, implementing sandboxing mechanisms for document processing, and deploying email filtering solutions that can identify and block potentially malicious Office attachments. Network-level protections such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help prevent exploitation attempts by monitoring for suspicious file transfer patterns. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of verifying document sources and avoiding opening attachments from unknown senders. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of Office applications from potentially compromised network locations, thereby reducing the attack surface for this particular vulnerability.