CVE-2008-4031

Microsoft Office Word 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 Gold and SP1; Outlook 2007 Gold and SP1; Word Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; Office Compatibility Pack…

published December 10, 2008

CVSS
—
EPSS
23%
Percentile
97.8
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

⚠️ A strangely crafted RTF file can open the door for remote code execution in several Microsoft Office products, including Word, Outlook, and even the Office Compatibility Pack! Think of it like a faulty recipe that, instead of just making a meal, accidentally creates a backdoor to your kitchen. A malformed string in an RTF file serves up a perfect storm for memory corruption — and trust me, no one wants that chaos! An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to run any code they want, meaning they could take control of your system and unleash all kinds of mischief — stealing data, corrupting files, or even spreading malware. It's like letting a stranger into your home who then takes over the whole place!

Put simply

Think of it like a faulty recipe that, instead of just making a meal, accidentally creates a backdoor to your kitchen. A malformed string in an RTF file serves up a perfect storm for memory corruption — and trust me, no one wants that chaos! This vulnerability arises from incorrect memory allocation and corruption when parsing crafted RTF content. The flaw allows remote attackers to trigger this issue through specially crafted RTF files or rich text emails sent to users.

What to do

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to run any code they want, meaning they could take control of your system and unleash all kinds of mischief — stealing data, corrupting files, or even spreading malware. It's like letting a stranger into your home who then takes over the whole place! To safeguard against this risk, ensure that all affected versions of Microsoft Office are updated with the latest security patches. Encourage users to be cautious about opening RTF files or rich text emails from untrusted sources. You've got this! Stay vigilant, patch those systems, and keep your digital space safe! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.23390 · 97.8th percentile
Published
2008-12-10T13:33Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 10 DEC 13:33Z
    Microsoft Office Word 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 Gold and SP1; Outlook 2007 Gold and SP1; Word Viewer 2003 Gold and SP3; Office Compatibility Pack…
    cvelistv5