CVE-2018-8598 in Excel
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Microsoft Excel improperly discloses the contents of its memory, aka "Microsoft Excel Information Disclosure Vulnerability." This affects Office 365 ProPlus, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8627.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-8598 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Microsoft Excel applications that can potentially expose sensitive data stored in memory. This vulnerability specifically affects Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Excel products, making it a widespread concern across enterprise and organizational environments that rely on these Microsoft Office suites. The flaw manifests when Excel improperly handles memory contents, leading to unintended data exposure that could compromise confidential information.
This information disclosure vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Excel's processing mechanisms, where the application fails to adequately sanitize or protect memory segments containing sensitive data. When Excel processes certain file formats or executes specific operations, it may inadvertently leak memory contents that should remain protected. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure," making it a direct descendant of well-established information security weaknesses. The technical implementation flaw occurs during the memory handling processes, where Excel's internal memory management does not properly isolate sensitive data from unauthorized access paths.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-8598 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can potentially enable attackers to extract confidential information that may include proprietary business data, personal identifiable information, or other sensitive content stored in Excel documents. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability through malicious file manipulation or by exploiting the memory disclosure to gain insights into the application's internal state and data structures. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be executed through standard Excel file processing operations, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Excel is widely used for document sharing and collaboration. This weakness directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005, which focuses on data from local system, and T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially use the disclosed information to craft more sophisticated attacks.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying Microsoft's security patches and updates as soon as they become available. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as restricting file execution permissions, monitoring for suspicious file processing activities, and conducting regular security assessments of Excel-based workflows. Network segmentation strategies can help limit the potential impact of exploitation, while endpoint detection and response solutions should be configured to monitor for anomalous memory access patterns. The vulnerability's nature suggests that organizations should also review their document handling procedures and implement stricter controls over file sharing and collaboration processes that involve Excel documents. Additionally, user awareness training should emphasize the importance of only opening files from trusted sources and reporting suspicious document behaviors to security teams.