CVE-2014-4077
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, and Office 2007 SP3, when IMJPDCT.EXE (aka IME for Japanese) is installed, allow remote attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism via a crafted PDF document, aka "Microsoft IME (Japanese) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," as exploited in the wild in 2014.
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 confidenceThis is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Japanese IME (Input Method Editor) component (IMJPDCT.EXE) present in multiple Windows versions and Office 2007 SP3. Attackers exploit this by embedding malicious content in crafted PDF documents that trigger the IME component to bypass sandbox protections, allowing privilege escalation. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild in 2014.
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= sp3all versionsall versionsall versions= r2all versionsCVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if IMJPDCT.EXE exists on the systemSearch for IMJPDCT.EXE file in typical locations: %SystemRoot%\System32\IMJPDCT.EXE, %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\, or use 'dir /s /b C:\IMJPDCT.EXE' to search entire driveAffected if IMJPDCT.EXE file is found on the system and the operating system is Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 (including R2)
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Identify installed Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' from command promptAffected if Version is Windows 7 (any build), Windows Server 2003 (any build), Windows Server 2008 (any build including R2), or Windows Vista (any build)
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Check for Japanese IME component in installed Windows featuresOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off, look for 'Japanese IME' under Language and keyboard options, or check registry key: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts\E0010411Affected if Japanese IME is installed or enabled on an affected Windows version
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Check Microsoft Office 2007 IME version if Office is installedIf Microsoft Office 2007 is installed, check IME version via 'Add or Remove Programs' or by checking IMJPDCT.EXE properties in the Office directory, verify SP3 is installed via 'winword /?' or Office diagnosticsAffected if Office 2007 SP3 with Japanese IME component is installed
System is affected if IMJPDCT.EXE is present and the Windows version is Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server 2008 (any edition), or if Office 2007 SP3 with Japanese IME is installed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedApply the Microsoft security update (MS14-078) to all affected systems where the Japanese IME (IMJPDCT.EXE) is installed, or uninstall the Japanese IME component if not required.
Apply the Microsoft security update KBxxxxx for CVE-2014-4077 (refer to MSRC for the specific KB number for your Windows version)
- Apply Microsoft Security Update for CVE-2014-4077 - this vulnerability in the Japanese IME (IMJPDCT.EXE) was addressed through Microsoft security bulletins in 2014. Check the Microsoft Security Response Center (msrc.microsoft.com) for the specific KB article that addresses this CVE.
- For Windows systems: Install the applicable Windows security update from November 2014 that addresses this IME elevation of privilege vulnerability.
- For Office 2007: If the Japanese IME is installed as part of Office, apply the corresponding Office security update from the same timeframe.
- After patching, verify the IMJPDCT.EXE version matches the patched version specified in the KB article.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,728.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4077 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-4077 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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