dbcve.org
AccessApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-3157

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-09-11
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
Microsoft Access 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, and 2013 in Microsoft Office allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted Access file, aka "Access Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-3155.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Access allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a specially crafted Access file (.accdb/.mdb). The vulnerability affects Access 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1/SP2, and 2013, exploiting how Access handles malformed files.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability. Until patches are applied, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected Access files, and consider disabling macros/ActiveX controls in Access as an additional safeguard.

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
AccessApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013

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. Determine installed Microsoft Access version
    Open Access, click File > Account > About Access (or run winver.exe and look for Office installation details)
    Affected if Version shows 2007, 2010, or 2013 (check if SP3 applied for 2007, or SP1/SP2 for 2010)
  2. Confirm Access 2007 service pack level
    In Access, go to File > Help > View the Office Account; look for 'Service Pack 3' - if absent or lower SP shown, it may still be affected if SP3 is not installed
    Affected if Access 2007 without Service Pack 3 installed, or explicitly noted as SP3 (note: only SP3 is listed as affected for 2007)
  3. Confirm Access 2010 service pack level
    In Access, go to File > Help > View the Office Account; verify if Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 is installed
    Affected if Access 2010 with Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 installed (both SP1 and SP2 are listed as affected)
  4. Confirm Access 2013 version
    In Access, go to File > Account > About Access; check if the version is 2013 (any build)
    Affected if Access 2013 is installed (all versions of Access 2013 are listed as affected)
  5. Understand attack vector
    This vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a specially crafted .accdb or .mdb file - there is no specific configuration or feature to check; the flaw exists in how Access parses malformed files
    Affected if User opens a maliciously crafted Access database file from an untrusted source

Your environment is affected if Microsoft Access 2007 SP3, Access 2010 SP1/SP2, or Access 2013 is installed, and users can open Access database files (.accdb/.mdb) from untrusted sources.

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 patches for this vulnerability. Until patches are applied, instruct users not to open untrusted or unexpected Access files, and consider disabling macros/ActiveX controls in Access as an additional safeguard.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a currently supported version of Microsoft Office (e.g., Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, or Office 2019/2016 if still within support lifecycle)

  1. Ensure Microsoft Office is configured to receive automatic updates via Windows Update or Microsoft Update
  2. Open Windows Update (Windows Key + R, type: control update)
  3. Check for and install all available security updates for Microsoft Office
  4. Specifically look for and install Security Bulletin MS13-074 (September 2013) which addresses this vulnerability
  5. After updates are installed, verify the installed version includes the security fix by checking Office updates history
Caveat Upgrading to a newer Office version may introduce interface changes and potential compatibility issues with older Access databases or VBA code; test thoroughly before production deployment

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

Fix this in Access Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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-2013-3157 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