CVE-2012-0184

Vulnerability

Microsoft Excel versions 2003 SP3, 2007 SP2 and SP3, and 2010 Gold and SP1, as well as Office 2008 and 2011 for Mac, Excel Viewer, and Office Compatibility Pack SP2 and SP3 mishandle memory during file opening. A specially crafted spreadsheet exploiting the SXLI record can corrupt memory, as described in MS12-030 [1] and referenced in CISA advisory TA12-129A [3]. This is a publicly disclosed vulnerability that is addressed by the security update.

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted Excel spreadsheet to a user and convincing them to open it. No authentication is required, and the attacker can leverage common vectors like email or web downloads [1][2]. The user interaction of opening the file is the only prerequisite.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the logged-on user. With user rights, the attacker can install programs, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts. Users with lower privileges are less affected [1].

Mitigation

Microsoft released a security update in MS12-030 on May 8, 2012, which corrects the data validation when opening files [1]. The update is available via Microsoft Update or automatic updating. No workarounds are described beyond applying the patch [3].