Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions:

Microsoft Office versions 2007 through 2016

Description:

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Office software when the software fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file with an affected version of Microsoft Office or Microsoft WordPad software.

Recommendations:

For Microsoft Office versions 2007 through 2016, update to the latest version or apply the security patch to fix the vulnerability. Additionally, users should avoid opening suspicious or specially crafted files, and administrators should ensure that users do not have administrative privileges unless necessary. As a temporary workaround, consider disabling the ability to open specially crafted files in Microsoft Office or Microsoft WordPad until a patch is available.