dbcve.org
AccessApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2503

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-11
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 Access 2007 SP3, Excel 2007 SP3, InfoPath 2007 SP3, OneNote 2007 SP3, PowerPoint 2007 SP3, Project 2007 SP3, Publisher 2007 SP3, Visio 2007 SP3, Word 2007 SP3, Office 2007 IME (Japanese) SP3, Access 2010 SP2, Excel 2010 SP2, InfoPath 2010 SP2, OneNote 2010 SP2, PowerPoint 2010 SP2, Project 2010 SP2, Publisher 2010 SP2, Visio 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, Pinyin IME 2010, Access 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 SP1, InfoPath 2013 SP1, OneNote 2013 SP1, PowerPoint 2013 SP1, Project 2013 SP1, Publisher 2013 SP1, Visio 2013 SP1, Word 2013 SP1, Excel 2013 RT SP1, OneNote 2013 RT SP1, PowerPoint 2013 RT SP1, Word 2013 RT SP1, Access 2016, Excel 2016, OneNote 2016, PowerPoint 2016, Project 2016, Publisher 2016, Visio 2016, Word 2016, Skype for Business 2016, and Lync 2013 SP1 allow remote attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism and gain privileges via a crafted web site that is accessed with Internet Explorer, as demonstrated by a transition from Low Integrity to Medium Integrity, aka "Microsoft Office Elevation of Privilege 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

This is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft Office products where a crafted website accessed via Internet Explorer can bypass sandbox protection mechanisms, allowing a transition from Low Integrity to Medium Integrity. The vulnerability affects multiple Office suites (2007-2016) and communication tools like Skype for Business and Lync.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for the affected Office products. For products no longer under mainstream support, consider upgrading to supported versions. Limit Office application permissions and restrict Internet Explorer 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
AccessApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013= 2016
ExcelApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013= 2016
InfopathApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013
LyncApplication
Affected:= 2013
Office 2007 ImeApplication
Affected:= sp3
OnenoteApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013= 2016
Pinyin ImeApplication
Affected:= 2010
PowerpointApplication
Affected:= 2007= 2010= 2013= 2016

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 Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed software and their versions
    Affected if Any of the following Office applications are installed: Access, Excel, Infopath, Lync, Onenote, Powerpoint, or the Office 2007 IME or Pinyin IME components
  2. Verify if installed Office version falls within affected range
    Compare the installed version numbers against these vulnerable versions: Access 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016; Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016; Infopath 2007, 2010, 2013; Lync 2013; OneNote 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016; PowerPoint 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016; Office 2007 IME SP3; Pinyin IME 2010
    Affected if The installed Office application version matches any of the versions listed as affected for this CVE
  3. Check if Internet Explorer is enabled and in use
    Verify Internet Explorer is installed and potentially in use. This vulnerability is exploited when a crafted website is accessed via Internet Explorer, which then loads Office content. Check IE version via 'iexplore.exe -version' from command prompt or via Programs and Features
    Affected if Internet Explorer is present and can be used to access untrusted websites, as this is the attack vector for this vulnerability
  4. Assess Windows Integrity Level configuration
    This vulnerability allows transition from Low Integrity to Medium Integrity. On systems running Windows with U_enabled, verify that Internet Explorer runs in Protected Mode (Low Integrity) by default for the Internet zone. Check IE > Internet Options > Security tab > Enable Protected Mode for each zone
    Affected if Internet Explorer Protected Mode is not enabled for the Internet zone, as the vulnerability specifically bypasses the sandbox protection that Protected Mode provides

A system is affected if it has any of the listed Office product versions installed AND uses Internet Explorer to access untrusted websites, particularly when Protected Mode sandboxing may not be fully enforced.

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 for the affected Office products. For products no longer under mainstream support, consider upgrading to supported versions. Limit Office application permissions and restrict Internet Explorer access to untrusted sites.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-081 patches for the respective Office products (Access, Excel, InfoPath, Lync, OneNote, PowerPoint) or upgrade to latest supported versions (Office 365 subscriptions with latest updates)

  1. Identify all affected Microsoft Office products installed in the environment from the list: Access, Excel, InfoPath, Lync, OneNote, PowerPoint, Pinyin IME, and Office 2007 IME (Japanese)
  2. Navigate to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-081 (https://docs.microsoft.com/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-081) to obtain the applicable security updates
  3. Download and install the appropriate patches for each affected product and version matching the installed service packs (e.g., Excel 2007 SP3, Access 2010 SP2, etc.)
  4. Alternatively, use Windows Update or Microsoft Update to automatically detect and install the relevant security updates
  5. Restart affected systems after patches are installed
  6. Verify successful patch installation by checking the installed updates via Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
Caveat Patches are routine security updates with no expected breaking changes; however, testing in a non-production environment is recommended before broad deployment

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

Fix this in Access Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-2503 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-2503 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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