Title: Microsoft Word Multiple Remote Denial Of Service Vulnerabilities
Severity: MODERATE
Description:
Microsoft Word is a formatted text editor that can be used to edit a variety of document types. It is typically bundled with the Microsoft Office suite and is commercially available for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS platforms.
Reportedly Microsoft Word is affected by multiple remote denial of service vulnerabilities. These issues are due to input validation errors surrounding malformed '.doc' formatted files.
The first problem reportedly presents itself when Microsoft Word attempts to parse a malformed '.doc' format. An unspecified parameter within the document is read as a signed two byte value. This value is stored as a signed four byte value and divided by four prior to being used as a counter for a memory copy operation. If a malformed '.doc' formatted file contains a negative value for this parameter the application fails to validate it and will attempt to copy excessive amounts of memory (approximately 4GB), triggering an exception. It is speculated that this issue may be exploited to execute arbitrary code, however this is unverified.
The second issue is triggered when an unspecified parameter is used as an offset into a malformed '.doc' formatted file. Apparently the application will fail to verify if the offset lies within the file before attempting to access it. If a malformed '.doc' formatted file contains a malicious value for this parameter the application will attempt to access unallocated memory and an exception will be triggered.
An attacker may leverage these issues to cause the affected software to hang or crash, denying service to legitimate users.
Although only Microsoft Word version 2002 with service pack 3 installed is reported vulnerable it is quite likely that other versions are vulnerable as well.
Affected Products:
- Microsoft Word 2002 SP3
References:
- Microsoft: Microsoft PowerPoint Home Page
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