CVE-2022-41061: Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Overview

Severity

High (CVSS 7.8)

CVSS Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Category

Remote Code Execution

Exploit Status

Not Exploited

Exploitation Likelihood

Less Likely

Patch Tuesday

2022-Nov

Released

2022-11-08

Last Updated

2022-11-15

EPSS Score

1.21% (percentile: 79.0%)

FAQ

According to the CVSS metric, the attack vector is local (AV:L). Why does the CVE title indicate that this is a remote code execution? The word Remote in the title refers to the location of the attacker. This type of exploit is sometimes referred to as Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE). The attack itself is carried out locally. For example, when the score indicates that the Attack Vector is Local and User Interaction is Required, this could describe an exploit in which an attacker, through social engineering, convinces a victim to download and open a specially crafted file from a website which leads to a local attack on their computer. Is the Preview Pane an attack vector for this vulnerability? No, the Preview Pane is not an attack vector. Are the updates for the Microsoft Office for Mac currently available? The security update for Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac and Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021 are not immediately available. The updates will be released as soon as possible, and when they are available, customers will be notified via a revision to this CVE information.

Affected Products (16)

Microsoft Office

• SharePoint Server Subscription Edition Language Pack
• Microsoft SharePoint Server Subscription Edition
• Microsoft Office Online Server
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 64-bit Systems
• Microsoft Word 2016 (32-bit edition)
• Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019
• Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016
• Microsoft Office LTSC for Mac 2021
• Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2013 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 32-bit Systems
• Microsoft Word 2016 (64-bit edition)
• Microsoft Office Web Apps Server 2013 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft Word 2013 RT Service Pack 1
• Microsoft Word 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit editions)
• Microsoft Word 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit editions)

Security Updates (12)

• 5002291
• 5002296
• 5002276
• 5002223
• 5002294
• 5002305
• Release Notes
• 5002235
• 5002223
• 5002261
• 5002217
• 5002217

Acknowledgments

<a href="https://twitter.com/tecr0c">Rocco Calvi (@TecR0c)</a>

Revision History

• 2022-11-08: Information published.
• 2022-11-15: Microsoft is announcing the availability of the security updates for Microsoft Office for Mac. Customers running affected Mac software should install the update for their product to be protected from this vulnerability. Customers running other Microsoft Office software do not need to take any action. See the Release Notes for more information and download links.