dbcve.org
WordApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-1902

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-08-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Buffer overflow in Microsoft Office Word 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2; Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Open XML File Format Converter for Mac; Office Word Viewer; and Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats SP2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified properties in the data in a crafted RTF document, aka "Word RTF Parsing Buffer Overflow Vulnerability."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office's RTF document parser allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious RTF file with specially crafted data properties. The flaw affects Word 2002/2003/2007, Office 2004/2008 for Mac, Open XML File Format Converter for Mac, Word Viewer, and the Office Compatibility Pack.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS10-036) to all affected Office installations, or disable RTF file handling in Office if not required. Until patched, avoid opening RTF documents from untrusted sources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
WordApplication
Affected:= 2002= 2003= 2007
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2008
Open Xml File Format ConverterApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Compatibility PackApplication
Affected:= 2007
Office Word ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Microsoft Word version
    Open Word, go to Help > About Microsoft Office Word, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel for the installed version
    Affected if Version is 2002, 2003, or 2007
  2. Identify installed Microsoft Office version
    Open any Office application, go to Help > About, or check Programs and Features in Control Panel
    Affected if Office 2004 or 2008 for Mac is installed (on Mac systems)
  3. Check for Open XML File Format Converter
    Search for 'Open XML File Format Converter' in Programs and Features or Applications folder on Mac
    Affected if Converter is installed (any version)
  4. Check for Office Compatibility Pack
    Search for 'Office Compatibility Pack' in Programs and Features
    Affected if Compatibility Pack version is 2007
  5. Check for Word Viewer
    Search for 'Word Viewer' in Programs and Features
    Affected if Word Viewer is installed (any version)
  6. Verify RTF file handling is enabled
    Attempt to open a test RTF file in Word, or check file association settings for .rtf extension in Windows
    Affected if RTF files can be opened by Word (vulnerability only triggers when RTF files are processed)

A system is affected if any of the above Office components are installed and the version matches the affected range, and RTF file handling is enabled in the application.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates (MS10-036) to all affected Office installations, or disable RTF file handling in Office if not required. Until patched, avoid opening RTF documents from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Supported Microsoft Office version (e.g., Microsoft 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016) - contact Microsoft for exact upgrade path from these legacy versions

  1. Contact Microsoft support or refer to MS10-056 (referenced in us-cert.gov, docs.microsoft.com, and oval.cisecurity.org) to obtain the security update for this vulnerability
  2. If security updates are unavailable for these end-of-life products, migrate to a currently supported Microsoft Office version such as Microsoft 365
Caveat Legacy Office file formats and macros may require testing or conversion; verify critical workflows with the new Office version before full deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Word Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-1902 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data