CVE-2023-33152: Microsoft ActiveX Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Overview

Severity
High (CVSS 7)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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
2023-Jul
Released
2023-07-11
EPSS Score
1.01% (percentile: 77.0%)

FAQ

According to the CVSS metric, user interaction is required (UI:R). What interaction would the user have to do? Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file. In an email attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted file to the user and convincing the user to open the file. In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website (or leverage a compromised website that accepts or hosts user-provided content) containing a specially crafted file designed to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit the website. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to click a link, typically by way of an enticement in an email or instant message, and then convince them to open the specially crafted file. 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. This means an attacker or victim needs to execute code from the local machine to exploit the vulnerability. According to the CVSS metric, the attack complexity is high (AC:H). What does that mean for this vulnerability? Successful exploitation of this vulnerability requires the victim to open a document and click through multiple warning popups for the attack to be initiated.

Affected Products (11)

Microsoft Office

  • Microsoft Office 2019 for 32-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office 2019 for 64-bit editions
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 32-bit Systems
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise for 64-bit Systems
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 64-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 for 32-bit editions
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (32-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Office 2016 (64-bit edition)
  • Microsoft Office 2013 RT Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit editions)
  • Microsoft Office 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit editions)

Security Updates (4)

Acknowledgments

<a href="https://twitter.com/laughing_mantis">Greg Linares (@Laughing_Mantis)</a>

Revision History

  • 2023-07-11: Information published.