search menu icon-carat-right cmu-wordmark
Carnegie Mellon University

Software Engineering Institute

CERT Coordination Center

Microsoft Word vulnerable to remote code execution

Vulnerability Note VU#921300

Original Release Date: 2006-10-12 | Last Revised: 2006-10-12

Overview

A remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Word can allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted mail merge file.

Description

Microsoft Word contains a remote code execution vulnerability that can be exploited when a specially crafted mail merge file is opened by Word.


More information and a list of affected versions is available in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-060.

Impact

A remote attacker who can successfully convince the user to open the specially crafted mail merge file may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the local user.

Solution

Apply an update


Microsoft has released updates in Mircosoft Security Bulletin MS06-060 to address this issue.

Workaround


Microsoft has supplied the following workaround for this vulnerability:

Do not open or save Microsoft Word files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you received unexpectedly from trusted sources.

Vendor Information

921300
 
Expand all

Microsoft Corporation Affected

Updated:  October 10, 2006

Status

Affected

Vendor Statement

We have not received a statement from the vendor.

Vendor Information

The vendor has not provided us with any further information regarding this vulnerability.

Addendum

Microsoft Corporation has published Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-060 in response to this issue. Users are encouraged to review this bulletin and apply the referenced patches

If you have feedback, comments, or additional information about this vulnerability, please send us email.


CVSS Metrics

Group Score Vector
Base
Temporal
Environmental

References

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-060.mspx

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Microsoft Security for reporting this vulnerability in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-060.

This document was written by Katie Steiner.

Other Information

CVE IDs: CVE-2006-3651
Severity Metric: 2.52
Date Public: 2006-10-10
Date First Published: 2006-10-12
Date Last Updated: 2006-10-12 14:57 UTC
Document Revision: 17

Sponsored by CISA.

Download PGP Key

Read CERT/CC Blog

Learn about Vulnerability Analysis