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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 25 Aug 2022.
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2014-6352

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2014-10-22
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS 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
Microsoft 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 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OLE object, as exploited in the wild in October 2014 with a crafted PowerPoint document.

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

This is an OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OLE object embedded in files such as PowerPoint documents. The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild in October 2014 as a drive-by attack vector through malicious PowerPoint files.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS14-064 (or subsequent cumulative updates that address this vulnerability) to all affected Windows systems. Additionally, train users to avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PowerPoint files and consider disabling OLE embedding in Office if operationally feasible.

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 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' from command prompt to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if Version is Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Vista, Server 2008, Server 2012, or corresponding R2 variants
  2. Check if MS14-064 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update KB2999226 (MS14-064)
    Affected if The security update KB2999226 is not listed as installed
  3. Verify OLE embedding behavior in PowerPoint
    Open a PowerPoint file and attempt to insert an OLE object via Insert > Object, or inspect recent PowerPoint files for embedded OLE content
    Affected if OLE objects can be embedded and executed without warnings in PowerPoint documents
  4. Review PowerPoint file open behavior
    Attempt to open a downloaded or received PowerPoint file and observe if Office Protected View or macro warnings appear
    Affected if Files open without security warnings or Protected View engagement, indicating missing mitigations

A system is affected if it runs an affected Windows version (Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or Server 2008/2012) AND lacks the MS14-064 (KB2999226) 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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch blogs.technet.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS14-064 (or subsequent cumulative updates that address this vulnerability) to all affected Windows systems. Additionally, train users to avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PowerPoint files and consider disabling OLE embedding in Office if operationally feasible.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-064 (KB3010788 and related OLE updates)

  1. Enable Automatic Updates on the affected Windows system to receive security patches
  2. Verify the system is updated by running Windows Update and installing all available security updates
  3. Alternatively, manually check for updates via Control Panel > Windows Update > Check for updates
  4. Ensure the MS14-064 security update (KB3010788 and related updates) is applied to address the OLE remote code execution vulnerability
  5. After patching, verify the update was successfully installed via Windows Update history

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

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get it fixed fast

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-2014-6352 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