OpenofficeApplication · Apache
CVE-2017-9806
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the OpenOffice Writer DOC file parser before 4.1.4, and specifically in the WW8Fonts Constructor, allows attackers to craft malicious documents that cause denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) potentially resulting in arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in OpenOffice Writer's DOC file parser (specifically the WW8Fonts Constructor) before version 4.1.4. Attackers can craft malicious DOC files that trigger memory corruption, causing application crashes (denial of service) and potentially allowing arbitrary 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 data
OpenofficeApplication
< 4.1.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify OpenOffice is installedCheck for OpenOffice installation: On Windows, look in Program Files for 'Apache OpenOffice' folder or check Registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Apache Software Foundation\OpenOffice). On Linux, run 'dpkg -l | grep openoffice' or 'rpm -qa | grep openoffice'. On macOS, check /Applications for OpenOffice.app.Affected if OpenOffice is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply.
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Determine installed OpenOffice versionOpen OpenOffice Writer, then go to Help > About OpenOffice. The version number displayed (e.g., 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5) is the installed version. Alternatively, check the program folder name or use command line: 'soffice --version'.Affected if Unable to determine version, assume potentially affected.
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Compare version to affected rangeCompare the installed version to the affected range: versions below 4.1.4 are vulnerable (e.g., 4.1.3, 4.1.2, 4.0.x). Versions 4.1.4 and later are not affected.Affected if Installed version is less than 4.1.4 (e.g., 4.1.3 or earlier).
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Confirm WW8Fonts component is presentOpenOffice Writer includes the WW8 (Word 97-2003) parser module for handling DOC files. This is built into Writer and cannot be disabled. To verify, attempt to open any DOC file in Writer - if it opens, the component is present.Affected if Writer can open DOC files, meaning the vulnerable WW8Fonts Constructor is available.
A system is affected if OpenOffice Writer is installed with a version lower than 4.1.4 and is used to open DOC files, as the vulnerable WW8Fonts Constructor in the DOC parser is enabled by default.
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.
From vendor data4.1.4
Upgrade to OpenOffice version 4.1.4 or later to patch the vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted DOC files from unknown sources.
Fix this in Openoffice
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9806 — 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-2017-9806 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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- 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
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