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OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-1325

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-11-13
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 and 2007 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted WordPerfect document (.wpd) file, aka "Word Heap Overwrite 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

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Word when parsing WordPerfect document (.wpd) files. The flaw occurs during WPD file parsing where the application fails to properly validate input data sizes, allowing an attacker to overwrite heap memory and execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted file.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for affected Office versions (MS13-037). Until patched, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected .wpd files, and consider disabling WPD file association in the enterprise.

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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007

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 Microsoft Office version
    Open Word, go to File > Help, or run 'winword.exe' and check Help > About Microsoft Office Word. Alternatively, check registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\version\Word\InstallRoot
    Affected if Version is 2003 (11.0) or 2007 (12.0)
  2. Verify WPD text converter is installed
    Check for the file 'WPCONVRT.DLL' in the Office installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\ (for 2007) or Office11 (for 2003). Also check registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Text Converters\Import\WordPerfect
    Affected if WPCONVRT.DLL exists and the WordPerfect converter registry entry is present, meaning WPD file parsing is enabled
  3. Confirm .wpd file association
    Check registry: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.wpd or use 'assoc .wpd' command in Command Prompt. Also check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WordPerfect.Document.6 or similar entries that link .wpd files to the WordPerfect converter
    Affected if File association exists and points to the WordPerfect converter, indicating the vulnerable parsing path is accessible
  4. Check Office/Word build number
    In Word, go to File > Help to view the exact build number. For Office 2003, look for build below 7712. For Office 2007, look for build below 6219. Run 'winword.exe /?' or check Program Files folder version details
    Affected if Build number is within the affected version ranges (2003 = 11.0, 2007 = 12.0) and no security updates have been applied

System is vulnerable if Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 is installed with the WordPerfect converter (WPD file support) enabled and the installation lacks the MS13-037 security update.

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 for affected Office versions (MS13-037). Until patched, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected .wpd files, and consider disabling WPD file association in the enterprise.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft Office 2016, 2019, or Microsoft 365 (current subscription version) - both Office 2003 and 2007 are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates

  1. 1. Verify the current Microsoft Office version by opening any Office application, clicking File > Account > About [App]
  2. 2. For Office 2003: Check if May 2013 security updates are installed via Windows Update, or manually download updates from Microsoft Update Catalog (MS13-039)
  3. 3. For Office 2007: Check if May 2013 security updates are installed via Windows Update, or manually download updates from Microsoft Update Catalog (MS13-039)
  4. 4. If updates cannot be applied due to end-of-life status, immediately stop using Office 2003/2007 and migrate to a supported Office version
  5. 5. Uninstall Office 2003 or 2007 completely before installing newer version to avoid conflicts
  6. 6. Install Microsoft Office 2016, 2019, or Microsoft 365 (current supported versions)
  7. 7. After upgrade, validate that .wpd files open correctly in the new Office version
  8. 8. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and configured to automatically install security updates for the new Office installation
Caveat Upgrading from Office 2003/2007 to newer versions may require file format migration; older macros and add-ins may not be compatible; license activation required for perpetual versions

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2013-1325 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
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