CVE-2014-6356
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 · uneditedArray index error in Microsoft Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP2, and Office Compatibility Pack SP3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Office document, aka "Invalid Index 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 confidenceThis is an array index error vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2007 SP3, Word 2010 SP2, and Office Compatibility Pack SP3 that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted Office documents. The flaw involves improper handling of document content leading to memory corruption and code execution.
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 dataall versions= 2007= 2010CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Microsoft Word versionOpen Word, go to File > Account > About Word, or run 'winword /?' from command prompt, or check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\ProductVersions or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\[version]\Word\InstallRootAffected if Version is 2007 (any SP) or 2010 (any SP)
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Check for Office Compatibility Pack installationLook in Control Panel > Programs and Features for 'Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint' or check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Office12.COMPAffected if Office Compatibility Pack is listed as installed
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Verify if security update KB2996221 is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid' from command prompt, or check registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\PackagesAffected if KB2996221 is NOT listed among installed updates
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Confirm vulnerable file versionsLocate WINWORD.EXE (typically in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14 or Office12) and check file version properties, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\WINWORD.EXE' | select VersionInfoAffected if File version corresponds to unpatched Word 2007 or 2010 builds
A system is affected if Word 2007 or 2010, or the Office Compatibility Pack is installed AND security update KB2996221 has not been applied.
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 Microsoft security update KB2996221 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Word installations and Office Compatibility Pack deployments. Additionally, configure Office to disable macro execution and enable Protected View for documents from untrusted sources.
Microsoft Word 2007 SP3 with December 2014 security update (KB2920794) or later; Microsoft Word 2010 SP2 with December 2014 security update (KB2920755) or later; Office Compatibility Pack SP3 with December 2014 security update
- Open Microsoft Update or check Windows Update for available updates
- Locate the security update for Microsoft Word (addressed in MS14-081)
- For Word 2007: Install Security Update KB2920794 or later
- For Word 2010: Install Security Update KB2920755 or later
- For Office Compatibility Pack: Install the corresponding security update from MS14-081
- Restart the computer after applying the update
- Verify the update was installed successfully via Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-6356 — 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-2014-6356 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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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.
- 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