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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022.
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2014-6332

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2014-11-11
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

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
OleAut32.dll in OLE in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, and Windows RT Gold and 8.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site, as demonstrated by an array-redimensioning attempt that triggers improper handling of a size value in the SafeArrayDimen function, aka "Windows OLE Automation Array Remote Code Execution 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

CVE-2014-6332 is a remote code execution vulnerability in OleAut32.dll's SafeArrayDimen function. The flaw stems from improper handling of size values during array redimensioning in OLE automation, allowing attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution via malicious web pages.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS14-064) across all affected Windows systems. Until patches are applied, disable OLE automation features or restrict browser access to untrusted sites.

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
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows RtOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows edition and version.
    Affected if The system runs Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows RT, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008/R2, or Windows Server 2012/R2.
  2. Locate OleAut32.dll
    Find the OleAut32.dll file on the system. Typical paths: C:\Windows\System32\OleAut32.dll or C:\Windows\SysWOW64\OleAut32.dll for 32-bit on 64-bit systems. Run 'dir C:\Windows\System32\OleAut32.dll' or 'dir C:\Windows\SysWOW64\OleAut32.dll'.
    Affected if The file exists on the system, indicating OLE Automation components are present.
  3. Check OleAut32.dll version
    Right-click the OleAut32.dll file, select Properties, then view the File Version tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic datafile where name="C:\\Windows\\System32\\OleAut32.dll" get Version,FileSize,LastModified'.
    Affected if The file version is lower than the patched version for MS14-064. Compare your version against Microsoft security bulletin MS14-064 patch levels for your specific Windows version.
  4. Verify OLE Automation is accessible
    Check if the OLE Automation service or related components are enabled. Review Internet Explorer security settings or Group Policy settings that control ActiveX controls and OLE automation. In IE, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level to view ActiveX settings.
    Affected if ActiveX controls and OLE Automation are allowed or enabled, particularly in the Internet or Intranet zones, making the attack vector viable.

A system is likely affected if it runs an unpatched Windows 7/8/8.1/RT/Server 2003/2008/2012 version with OleAut32.dll at a version prior to the MS14-064 patch level and has OLE/ActiveX functionality enabled.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS14-064) across all affected Windows systems. Until patches are applied, disable OLE automation features or restrict browser access to untrusted sites.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Enable automatic updates or open Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update).
  2. Check for updates and install the security update MS14‑064 (or the corresponding update for your Windows version) that resolves the OLE Automation Array vulnerability.
  3. Restart the computer after the update completes to apply the changes.
  4. Verify that OleAut32.dll has been updated to the patched version (for example, version 6.1.7601.18738 on Windows 7) by viewing the file properties or running: dir /s OleAut32.dll.

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

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2014-6332 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