dbcve.org
PublisherApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-1320

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-05-15
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 Publisher 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Publisher file, aka "Publisher 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 · moderate confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Publisher 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening a specially crafted .pub file. The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking when parsing certain Publisher file structures.

MitigationApply available Microsoft security updates for Publisher 2003; if patches are unavailable due to end-of-support, consider migrating to newer Office versions or implement defense-in-depth controls such as application whitelisting and restricting .pub file handling to trusted 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
PublisherApplication
Affected:= 2003

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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. Verify Publisher 2003 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'appwiz.cpl', and look for Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 in the installed programs list. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Publisher\InstallRoot
    Affected if Microsoft Publisher 2003 appears in the installed programs or the registry key exists
  2. Determine the exact Publisher version
    Locate the Publisher executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\MSPUB.EXE) or check the registry value at HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Publisher\InstallRoot
    Affected if The executable or registry version corresponds to Office 2003 (version 11.0)
  3. Confirm the version is within affected range
    Compare the installed Publisher version to the affected version: Microsoft Publisher = 2003. If the version is 11.0.xxxx (Office 2003), it falls within the affected range
    Affected if The installed version is Microsoft Publisher 2003 (version 11.0)
  4. Assess exposure to .pub file handling
    Determine if the system routinely opens or previews .pub files. This vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a specially crafted .pub file, so check if .pub file association points to Publisher and if users commonly receive such files
    Affected if Publisher 2003 is installed AND users can open .pub files (the attack requires opening a malicious .pub file)

The system is affected if Microsoft Publisher 2003 (version 11.0) is installed and users can open .pub files, as the vulnerability is triggered when parsing specially crafted .pub file structures.

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 available Microsoft security updates for Publisher 2003; if patches are unavailable due to end-of-support, consider migrating to newer Office versions or implement defense-in-depth controls such as application whitelisting and restricting .pub file handling to trusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft Office 2016 or later / Microsoft 365

  1. Identify current Microsoft Publisher version by opening Publisher and going to Help > About Microsoft Office Publisher
  2. Backup all important Publisher files and templates
  3. Uninstall Microsoft Office 2003 (including Publisher) from the system via Control Panel > Programs and Features
  4. Install a supported version of Microsoft Office (such as Office 2016, 2019, or Microsoft 365) which includes Publisher
  5. After installation, apply all available Windows and Office updates
  6. Re-open Publisher files and verify functionality
Caveat Microsoft Office 2003 file formats may have compatibility issues with newer versions; macro-enabled templates from 2003 may need updating

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

Fix this in Publisher Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2013-1320 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