CVE-2019-0671 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine improperly handles objects in memory, aka 'Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-0672, CVE-2019-0673, CVE-2019-0674, CVE-2019-0675.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0671 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine, which forms part of the broader Microsoft Office suite ecosystem. This vulnerability resides in the memory handling mechanisms of the Access Connectivity Engine, a component responsible for enabling connectivity between Microsoft Office applications and various data sources including databases, web services, and other external data repositories. The flaw specifically manifests when the engine processes objects in memory, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute arbitrary code on affected systems without requiring local access or user interaction.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices within the Access Connectivity Engine component. When processing certain data structures or objects, the engine fails to properly validate or sanitize memory operations, leading to potential buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. This memory handling deficiency allows attackers to craft specially malformed data inputs that, when processed by the vulnerable engine, can trigger unexpected behavior resulting in code execution. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely through various attack vectors including malicious Office documents, web-based data sources, or compromised email attachments that leverage the Access Connectivity Engine for data processing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where Microsoft Office applications are widely deployed. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within network perimeters. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Microsoft Office products including Office 2016, Office 2019, and Office 2016 for Mac, making it a widespread concern across different deployment scenarios. The remote execution capability means that attackers can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, potentially bypassing traditional network security controls and gaining persistent access to target systems. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) in its exploitation methodology and underlying memory corruption principles.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including deploying Microsoft security patches and updates as soon as they become available through Microsoft's regular update cycle. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can help reduce the attack surface by limiting which systems can access potentially vulnerable Office connectivity components. Monitoring for suspicious Office document processing activities and implementing strict email filtering controls can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider disabling unnecessary Office connectivity features and ensuring that the Access Connectivity Engine components are properly isolated from untrusted data sources. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices and memory management in enterprise software components, particularly those handling external data inputs, and highlights the need for continuous security assessment of widely deployed software libraries and connectivity frameworks that form the backbone of modern office productivity environments.