Privilege escalation in Microsoft (MAU) Office

1) Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

EUVDB-ID: #VU26886

Risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-0984

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

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to the Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) application for Mac improperly validates updates before executing them. A remote attacker can place a specially crafted executable in a specific location used by the update application and execute arbitrary code in a privileged context. 

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac: All versions

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:microsoft_autoupdate:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0984

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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