CVE-2014-1761
Microsoft Word Memory Corruption Vulnerability
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word 2003 SP3, 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, 2013, and 2013 RT; Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack SP3; Office for Mac 2011; Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP1 and SP2 and 2013; Office Web Apps 2010 SP1 and SP2; and Office Web Apps Server 2013 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via crafted RTF data, as exploited in the wild in March 2014.
Exploitation status
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Listed by CISA on 15 February 2022. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 15 August 2022.
EPSS — exploitation probability
FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 77.5%, which is higher than 99.6% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2014-1761 being exploited by ransomware groups?
No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2014-1761.
What does CVE-2014-1761 affect?
CVE-2014-1761 affects Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word 2003 SP3, 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, 2013, and 2013 RT; Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack SP3; Office for Mac 2011; Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP1 and SP2 and 2013; Office Web Apps 2010 SP1 and SP2; and Office Web Apps Server 2013 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via crafted RTF data, as exploited in the wild in March 2014.
How severe is CVE-2014-1761?
CVE-2014-1761 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 77.5%, higher than 99.6% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 15 August 2022.
How should organisations respond to CVE-2014-1761?
Apply the vendor patch for Microsoft Word as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.