Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-3279


Microsoft Office 2010 SP2, Excel 2010 SP2, PowerPoint 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Excel 2013 SP1, PowerPoint 2013 SP1, Word 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, PowerPoint 2013 RT SP1, Word 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2016, Word 2016, Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP2, and Office Web Apps 2010 SP2 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted XLA file, aka "Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 9 products from microsoft, from microsoft, from microsoft and 6 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2016-07-13T01:59:33.610

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: MEDIUM
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
  • Availability Impact: NONE
Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-254

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application microsoft excel 2010 Yes
Application microsoft excel 2013 Yes
Application microsoft excel 2016 Yes
Application microsoft excel_rt 2013 Yes
Application microsoft office 2010 Yes
Application microsoft office_web_apps 2010 Yes
Application microsoft powerpoint 2010 Yes
Application microsoft powerpoint 2013 Yes
Application microsoft powerpoint_rt 2013 Yes
Application microsoft sharepoint_server 2010 Yes
Application microsoft word 2010 Yes
Application microsoft word 2013 Yes
Application microsoft word 2016 Yes
Application microsoft word_rt 2013 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For microsoft's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.