CVE-2020-1504 Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Attackers can execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a malicious Excel file, potentially gaining full system control.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2020-1504?
CVE-2020-1504 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Excel, published on 17 Aug 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Excel software when the software fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel. In an email attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted file to the user and convincing the user to open the file. In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website (or leverage a compromised website that accepts or hosts user-provided content) containing a specially crafted file designed to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit the website. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to click a link, typically by way of an enticement in an email or instant message, and then convince them to open the specially crafted file. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Microsoft Excel handles objects in memory.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1504?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Microsoft Excel.
How do I fix CVE-2020-1504?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1504 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2020-1504 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1504 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel
Sources
Also known as GHSA-h86w-hh9w-5776.