CVE-2017-0261: Microsoft Office Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2017-0261 is a high (CVSS 9.3) Use After Free vulnerability in Microsoft Office. It is known to be exploited: CISA lists it, first on 03-03-2022. EPSS estimates a 78.13% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99.5% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 12-05-2017
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 03-03-2022
   Added to CISA KEVMicrosoft Office Use-After-Free Vulnerability
3. 24-03-2022
   CISA remediation dueApply updates per vendor instructions.
4. 21-10-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

Microsoft Office 2010 SP2, Office 2013 SP1, and Office 2016 allow a remote code execution vulnerability when the software fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka "Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability". This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2017-0262 and CVE-2017-0281.

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.