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PublisherApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-1329

HIGH · 9.3 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
Integer signedness error in Microsoft Publisher 2003 SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Publisher file that triggers a buffer underflow, aka "Publisher Buffer Underflow 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

Integer signedness error in Microsoft Publisher 2003 SP3 allows crafted .pub files to trigger buffer underflow during parsing, enabling remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via user-opened malicious files.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for Publisher 2003; consider upgrading from this unsupported software version; implement email/file filtering to block untrusted .pub attachments.

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
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. Verify Microsoft Publisher 2003 is installed
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ for the Publisher folder, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select DisplayName, DisplayVersion' to list installed Office components
    Affected if Microsoft Publisher 2003 appears in the installed programs list
  2. Confirm the exact Publisher version
    Right-click the Publisher executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\) or use 'Get-ItemProperty' on the Publisher application file, select Properties, and check the File Version field
    Affected if Version displays as 11.0.xxxx (Office 2003 = version 11.0)
  3. Identify the Service Pack level
    Check Help > About Microsoft Office Publisher within the application, or look for the SP3 update in Windows Update history, or examine the installed updates via 'wmic product list'
    Affected if Service Pack 3 is installed (the affected version)
  4. Assess exposure to untrusted .pub files
    Check whether users routinely receive or open .pub files from external sources, or review email gateway/file filtering policies for .pub attachment handling
    Affected if Users open .pub files from untrusted or unknown sources without prior scanning

User is affected if Microsoft Publisher 2003 with Service Pack 3 is installed and users can open untrusted .pub files

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 Publisher 2003; consider upgrading from this unsupported software version; implement email/file filtering to block untrusted .pub attachments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Microsoft Office 365 or Office 2021 (or later supported versions)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running Microsoft Publisher 2003 SP3 in the environment.
  2. 2. Backup all critical data before making any changes.
  3. 3. Migrate to a supported Microsoft Office version. Microsoft Publisher is included in Office suites. Upgrade to a currently supported version such as Office 365 or Office 2021.
  4. 4. Verify that the upgraded Publisher version is functioning correctly with existing .pub files.
  5. 5. Apply any additional security hardening recommended for the new Office version, such as enabling Protected View for files from external sources.
Caveat Upgrading may require purchase of new Office license; some legacy .pub file features or macros may behave differently in newer versions; file format compatibility should be tested

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

Fix this in Publisher Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $2,000
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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-2013-1329 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