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ExcelApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2015-1682

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-05-13
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 Office 2010 SP2, Excel 2010 SP2, PowerPoint 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Office 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 SP1, PowerPoint 2013 SP1, Word 2013 SP1, Office 2013 RT SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, PowerPoint 2013 RT SP1, Word 2013 RT SP1, Office for Mac 2011, Excel for Mac 2011, PowerPoint for Mac 2011, Word for Mac 2011, PowerPoint Viewer, Word Automation Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP2 and 2013 SP1, Excel Services on SharePoint Server 2010 SP2 and 2013 SP1, Office Web Apps 2010 SP2, Excel Web App 2010 SP2, Office Web Apps Server 2013 SP1, SharePoint Foundation 2010 SP2, and SharePoint Server 2013 SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted document, aka "Microsoft Office 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 Office allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted malicious documents. The vulnerability affects multiple Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) across versions 2010/2013 and includes server components like SharePoint and Office Web Apps.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates from MS15-046 to all affected Office installations and server components, or upgrade to supported versions. Implement network-based detection for suspicious document files and restrict opening of untrusted documents.

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
ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2013
Excel Web AppApplication
Affected:= 2010
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2011= 2013
Office Web Apps ServerApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2013
PowerpointApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2011= 2013
Powerpoint ViewerApplication
Affected:all versions
Sharepoint FoundationApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2013
Sharepoint ServerApplication
Affected:= 2010= 2013

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. Identify installed Microsoft Office products
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check Add/Remove Programs. Look for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, or components like SharePoint Foundation/Server, Office Web Apps Server.
    Affected if Any of the listed affected products (Excel, PowerPoint, Office, SharePoint Foundation/Server, Office Web Apps Server, PowerPoint Viewer) are installed.
  2. Check Excel version number
    Open Excel, go to File > Account > About Excel. Note the version (e.g., 15.0.xxxx). Alternatively, run 'excel /?' from Command Prompt or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\ProductReleaseIds for version info.
    Affected if Version is 14.0.x (Office 2010) or 15.0.x (Office 2013).
  3. Check PowerPoint version number
    Open PowerPoint, go to File > Account > About PowerPoint. Note the version. Alternatively, run 'powerpnt /?' from Command Prompt or check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\ProductReleaseIds.
    Affected if Version is 14.0.x (Office 2010), 14.2.x (Office 2011 for Mac), or 15.0.x (Office 2013).
  4. Check SharePoint version
    On SharePoint server, open Central Administration > System Settings > Servers in Farm. Or check registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\14.0 or 15.0 for version.
    Affected if SharePoint Foundation or Server version is 14.0.x (2010) or 15.0.x (2013).
  5. Check Office Web Apps Server version
    On the server, open Windows PowerShell and run Get-OfficeWebAppsServer to get version, or check registry HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\OfficeWebApps\Server\Version.
    Affected if Version is 14.0.x (Office Web Apps 2010) or 15.0.x (Office Web Apps 2013).
  6. Verify document handling is accessible
    Confirm that the Office application can open document files. For server components, verify that WebDAV or file upload features are enabled in SharePoint/Office Web Apps.
    Affected if Users or unauthenticated attackers can upload or trigger opening of crafted .xlsx, .pptx, .docx files in the affected application.

If any of the affected products (Excel 2010/2013, PowerPoint 2010/2011/2013, Office 2010/2011/2013, SharePoint 2010/2013, Office Web Apps 2010/2013, PowerPoint Viewer any version) are installed with versions matching 14.x or 15.x ranges, and document opening/upload is possible, the environment is potentially affected by CVE-2015-1682.

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 from MS15-046 to all affected Office installations and server components, or upgrade to supported versions. Implement network-based detection for suspicious document files and restrict opening of untrusted documents.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to latest supported Microsoft Office versions (Office 2016/2019/365) or ensure all security updates from MS15-046 are fully applied

  1. Check current Microsoft Office version by opening any Office application, going to File > Account > About [App]
  2. Identify the exact version and service pack level installed (e.g., Office 2010 SP2, Office 2013 SP1)
  3. For Office 2010 SP2: Apply security update MS15-046 from Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-046 (May 12, 2015)
  4. For Office 2013 SP1: Apply security update MS15-046 from Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-046 (May 12, 2015)
  5. For Office for Mac 2011: Apply the corresponding security update from the same bulletin
  6. For SharePoint products: Apply the update via SharePoint Central Administration or Windows Update
  7. Restart all Office applications after applying the update
  8. Verify the update was successful by checking Windows Update history or the Office application's version information
Caveat Applying security updates carries minimal risk but should be tested in a non-production environment first, especially in enterprise environments with custom Office templates or add-ins

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

Fix this in Excel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2015-1682 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