CVE-2016-7235 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Word 2007, Office 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, Excel 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
The Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7235 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple versions of Microsoft Office applications including Word 2007, Office 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Word for Mac 2011, Excel for Mac 2011, and the Office Compatibility Pack SP3. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 category of Out-of-bounds Read, which occurs when software attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated boundaries of a buffer or data structure. The flaw manifests when Microsoft Office applications process specially crafted Office documents that contain malformed data structures designed to trigger memory corruption during document parsing operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a sophisticated attack vector that leverages memory corruption techniques to achieve arbitrary code execution. Attackers craft malicious Office documents containing carefully constructed data that, when opened by vulnerable applications, causes the memory management system to behave unpredictably. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory boundary checking within the Office document parsing engines, particularly in how these applications handle complex document structures and embedded objects. When the vulnerable Office application attempts to parse the malicious document, it fails to properly validate the memory boundaries of various data structures, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged to execute malicious code with the privileges of the logged-in user.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7235 extends far beyond simple document processing failures, as it enables attackers to gain complete control over affected systems. This vulnerability directly maps to the ATT&CK technique T1059.005 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands and scripts within the target environment. The implications are severe for enterprise environments where Office applications are frequently used to process documents from external sources, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with limited email filtering capabilities or users who regularly open documents from untrusted sources. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects multiple Office versions across different platforms, including both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies focusing on both preventive and detective controls. Microsoft released security patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations must prioritize applying these updates to all affected Office installations. Network-based mitigations should include implementing strict email filtering policies that scan and quarantine suspicious Office documents before they reach end users. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict users from opening Office documents from untrusted sources, particularly when these documents are received via email or downloaded from the internet. The ATT&CK framework suggests implementing process monitoring and anomaly detection to identify potential exploitation attempts, as the memory corruption behavior may produce detectable patterns in system resource usage or process behavior. Organizations should also conduct regular security awareness training to educate users about the risks of opening suspicious Office documents and the importance of verifying document sources before opening them.