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Sharepoint ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-3857

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 Word Automation Services in SharePoint Server 2010 SP1 and SP2, Word Web App 2010 SP1 and SP2 in Office Web Apps 2010, Word 2003 SP3, Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP1 and SP2, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and Word Viewer allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted Office document, aka "Word Memory Corruption 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Word and related components (Word Automation Services in SharePoint Server 2010, Word Web App 2010, Word 2003/2007/2010, Office Compatibility Pack, Word Viewer) allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service via a specially crafted Office document that triggers heap corruption when parsed.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS13-086 and related patches) to all affected Word installations, SharePoint servers, and Office Web Apps servers. Additionally, implement email/gateway filtering to block malicious Office attachments and enable Protected View in Microsoft Office to open untrusted documents in a sandboxed environment.

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
Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2010
Office Compatibility PackApplication
Affected:all versions
WordApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= 2010
Word ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions
Office Web AppsApplication
Affected:= 2010

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. Check installed Microsoft Word version
    Open Word, go to File > Help, or run 'winword.exe' and check version in the application. Alternatively, check the version in Windows Programs and Features or via registry key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Office\{version}\Word\InstallRoot
    Affected if Version is 2003, 2007, or 2010 specifically (exact versions match the affected range)
  2. Check Microsoft Word Viewer installation
    Verify if Word Viewer is installed by checking Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Word Viewer' or checking the installation directory typically in Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11 or Office12
    Affected if Word Viewer is installed at any version (all versions affected)
  3. Check Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack
    Check Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint' or check for the compatibility pack DLLs in Office installation directory
    Affected if Compatibility Pack is installed (all versions affected)
  4. Check Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
    Check SharePoint Central Administration > System Settings > Manage farm features, or check Programs and Features for 'Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010'
    Affected if SharePoint Server 2010 is installed (exact version 2010)
  5. Check Microsoft Office Web Apps 2010
    Check installed programs for 'Microsoft Office Web Apps' or verify via SharePoint Management Shell: Get-OfficeWebAppsMachine
    Affected if Office Web Apps 2010 is installed (exact version 2010)

User is affected if any of the following are installed: Word 2003, 2007, or 2010 (exact versions); Word Viewer at any version; Office Compatibility Pack at any version; SharePoint Server 2010; or Office Web Apps 2010 - and the system lacks the MS13-086 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 (MS13-086 and related patches) to all affected Word installations, SharePoint servers, and Office Web Apps servers. Additionally, implement email/gateway filtering to block malicious Office attachments and enable Protected View in Microsoft Office to open untrusted documents in a sandboxed environment.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft 365 (current channel) or Office 2016/2019/2021 permanent license with latest security updates

  1. Identify all affected Microsoft Office products currently deployed (Word 2003/2007/2010, Office Compatibility Pack, SharePoint Server 2010, Office Web Apps 2010, Word Viewer)
  2. For Word 2003 SP3 and Word 2007 SP3: These versions are end-of-life; migrate to a supported version such as Word 2016 or Microsoft 365
  3. For Word 2010 SP1/SP2: Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS13-086 (KB2826022) or upgrade to Word 2016 or Microsoft 365
  4. For Office Compatibility Pack SP3: Apply MS13-086 updates or migrate to Microsoft 365
  5. For SharePoint Server 2010 SP1/SP2: Apply MS13-086 (KB2826035) or migrate to SharePoint Server 2016/2019 or SharePoint Online
  6. For Office Web Apps 2010 SP1/SP2: Apply MS13-086 (KB2826034) or migrate to Office Online Server or SharePoint Online
  7. For Word Viewer: Discontinue use as it is end-of-life; install supported Microsoft Office viewer or use Microsoft 365
  8. After patching/upgrade, restart all affected services and validate that the Office application functions correctly
Caveat Legacy macro functionality, VBA code, and older file format support may be affected when migrating from Word 2003/2007 to newer versions; some third-party add-ins may require updates

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

Fix this in Sharepoint Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2013-3857 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