CVE-2016-7232 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Word 2007, Office 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, 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 • 09/30/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Office applications that affects multiple versions including Word 2007, Office 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, and Office Compatibility Pack SP3. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation when processing specially crafted Office documents, creating opportunities for remote code execution attacks. The flaw specifically manifests during the parsing of maliciously constructed document elements that trigger buffer overflows or heap corruption in the memory management systems of these applications. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by delivering malicious Office documents through email attachments, web downloads, or other social engineering vectors, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be classified under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, or CWE-122, heap-based buffer overflow conditions, depending on the specific exploitation method. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk because it allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim user, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The attack surface is broad given the widespread adoption of Microsoft Office across organizations, making this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to conduct large-scale campaigns. The exploitation typically involves crafting a malicious document that, when opened by an affected Office application, causes the application to improperly handle memory allocation and deallocation, resulting in controlled code execution. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes exploitation of remote services, and T1059, which covers command and script interpreter usage, as attackers can leverage the executed code to perform further malicious activities. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, implement strict email filtering policies, and deploy application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of untrusted Office documents. Additionally, user education regarding suspicious email attachments and document handling practices remains crucial in mitigating the risk associated with this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patches in controlled environments before deployment to ensure compatibility with existing business applications and workflows. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and implement network-based detection mechanisms to identify potential exploitation attempts.