CVE-2018-0797 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2013, and Microsoft Office 2016 allow a remote code execution vulnerability due to the way RTF content is handled, aka "Microsoft Word Memory Corruption Vulnerability".
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0797 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Microsoft Office applications that affects versions 2010, 2013, and 2016. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the software processes Rich Text Format content, creating a remote code execution vector that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized system access. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the RTF parsing engine, which fails to properly handle malformed or maliciously crafted RTF documents that contain crafted sequences designed to trigger buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting specially formatted RTF files that, when opened by an affected Office application, cause the software to improperly handle memory allocation and data processing. The vulnerability operates through the exploitation of memory corruption patterns that allow attackers to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution within the context of the victim's session. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.005, which involves the execution of code through Microsoft Office applications, and T1203, which covers the exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-0797 extends beyond simple remote code execution, as it provides attackers with a pathway to establish persistent access and escalate privileges within targeted environments. Organizations running affected Office versions face significant risk when processing untrusted RTF content, particularly through email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing systems. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target users without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently interact with external content. The memory corruption nature of the flaw means that successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within network infrastructures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's security updates, as the company released specific fixes addressing the RTF parsing issues in affected Office versions. Organizations should implement comprehensive email filtering and content inspection mechanisms to prevent malicious RTF files from reaching end users, particularly focusing on outbound and inbound email traffic. Network segmentation and application whitelisting policies can further reduce attack surface by limiting the execution of Office applications in high-risk environments. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify potential exploitation attempts, while implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous Office application behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. The remediation process must include thorough testing of patches in controlled environments before widespread deployment to ensure compatibility with existing business applications and workflows.