Privilege escalation in Microsoft Office for Mac



Published: 2018-08-14
Risk Low
Patch available YES
Number of vulnerabilities 1
CVE-ID CVE-2018-8412
CWE-ID CWE-264
Exploitation vector Local
Public exploit N/A
Vulnerable software
Subscribe 		Microsoft Office for Mac
Client/Desktop applications / Office applications

Vendor Microsoft

Security Bulletin

This security bulletin contains one low risk vulnerability.

1) Elevation of privilege

EUVDB-ID: #VU14396

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-8412

CWE-ID: CWE-264 - Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to elevate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to an error in Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) functionality for Mac when handling updates. A local user can place a specially crafted binary in the location used by the update application and execute arbitrary code on the system with elevated privileges. 

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Microsoft Office for Mac: 2016

External links

http://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8412


Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

How the attacker can exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker would have to trick the victim to visit a specially crafted website or open a file.

The attacker would have to login to the system and perform certain actions in order to exploit this vulnerability.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.



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