Years old Microsoft Word and Excel vulnerabilities still haunt users, 13K+ malicious documents

Three vulnerabilities identified in 2017 and 2018 within Microsoft Word and Excel continue to be exploited by attackers, posing a user risk despite not being newly discovered zero-day threats. Security researchers identified over 13,000 malicious documents utilizing these CVEs in 2023, highlighting the ongoing potential for exploitation.

These are the affected vulnerabilities:

• CVE-2017-11882
• CVE-2017-0199
• CVE-2018-0802

What is CVE?

CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. It is a universal system that offers a standardized identifier and catalog for publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposures. In essence, it serves as a dictionary for security experts to talk about and monitor vulnerabilities across various databases and tools.

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow attackers to execute malicious code on a victim’s computer when they open a specifically crafted document. These documents may employ social engineering tactics, such as poorly formatted text or enticing subject lines, to encourage users to open them.

Users are strongly advised to update Microsoft Office to the latest version, which includes patches for these vulnerabilities. Additionally, exercising caution with suspicious documents, particularly those from unknown senders, and enabling security features within office applications can reduce the risk of exploitation.

While all users of outdated Microsoft Office versions are at risk, attackers appear to focus on lucrative industries such as banking, finance, government, and healthcare.

It’s worth noting that a report revealed a similar scenario involving outdated Adobe Flash vulnerabilities. Despite Adobe Flash officially reaching its end-of-life in 2020, attackers are still actively exploiting vulnerabilities within the software to target unsuspecting users.

More here.