CVE-2016-7245 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2007 SP3, Office 2010 SP2, Office 2013 SP1, Office 2013 RT SP1, and Office 2016 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 affecting multiple versions of Microsoft Office applications including Office 2007 SP3, Office 2010 SP2, Office 2013 SP1, Office 2013 RT SP1, and Office 2016. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of specially crafted Office documents that can trigger memory corruption conditions during document parsing and rendering processes. Attackers exploit this weakness by crafting malicious Office documents that, when opened by vulnerable applications, cause memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can result in memory corruption and potentially allow privilege escalation. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently open documents from untrusted sources, making it a prime target for targeted attacks and social engineering campaigns.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a malicious document is opened within a vulnerable Office application, causing the application to process the crafted content in a manner that leads to memory corruption. The memory corruption typically manifests as buffer overflows or heap corruption that can be leveraged to overwrite critical memory locations or execute malicious code within the context of the Office application process. Attackers often utilize this vulnerability in conjunction with other techniques such as exploit code delivery through phishing emails or malicious websites, where the Office document serves as the initial attack vector. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple code execution to potentially allow attackers to escalate privileges, access sensitive data, or establish persistent access to affected systems. This vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including initial access through spearphishing attachments and execution through malicious file content.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7245 is significant for organizations relying on Microsoft Office applications, as it provides attackers with a straightforward path to compromise systems through social engineering or drive-by download attacks. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Office versions, making it particularly dangerous as organizations may have legacy systems running older versions that are difficult to patch immediately. The memory corruption nature of the vulnerability means that even limited user privileges can potentially be escalated to system-level access, depending on the execution context and system configuration. Organizations with poor email filtering or document review processes face heightened risk as attackers can easily deliver malicious documents through standard communication channels. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires minimal user interaction beyond opening the malicious document, making it particularly effective for widespread attacks. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping Office applications updated and implementing robust email filtering and document sanitization processes to prevent exploitation.