CVE-2020-1445 in Office
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Microsoft Office improperly discloses the contents of its memory, aka 'Microsoft Office Information Disclosure Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-1342.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-1445 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Microsoft Office applications that stems from improper memory handling practices. This vulnerability allows attackers to potentially access sensitive data that should remain protected within the application's memory space, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on Microsoft Office suites. The flaw specifically manifests when Office applications fail to properly sanitize memory contents, leading to unintended data exposure that could include confidential documents, user credentials, or other sensitive information processed within the application environment.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability operates through memory corruption mechanisms that enable unauthorized data retrieval from application memory segments. The flaw typically occurs during document processing operations where Office applications maintain sensitive data in memory buffers before proper cleanup or encryption. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure" in software systems, and represents a classic example of improper information handling within application memory management. The vulnerability affects multiple Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, making it particularly dangerous due to the widespread use of these applications across enterprise environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-1445 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can enable attackers to gather intelligence for more sophisticated attacks within the target environment. When malicious actors successfully exploit this vulnerability, they can potentially access cached data, temporary files, or even decrypted content from documents that were recently processed by Office applications. This information can include personal identifiable information, corporate secrets, financial data, or other sensitive materials that could be leveraged for social engineering attacks, financial fraud, or advanced persistent threat operations. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires either local access or specific conditions that allow for memory inspection techniques, making it particularly concerning in environments where insider threats or compromised user accounts exist.
Organizations facing this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security updates and patches released in response to this vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as memory protection mechanisms, application whitelisting, and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving credential access and defense evasion, as attackers could use the exposed information to further compromise systems or avoid detection. Regular security assessments and memory analysis should be conducted to identify potential exploitation indicators, while user education programs should emphasize the importance of keeping Office applications updated and avoiding suspicious document attachments that could trigger memory corruption conditions.