CVE-2025-47162
📋 TL;DR
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft Office allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems by tricking users into opening malicious documents. This affects all users running vulnerable versions of Microsoft Office. Successful exploitation gives attackers the same privileges as the logged-in user.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft 365 Apps
- Microsoft Office LTSC
📦 What is this software?
365 Apps by Microsoft
Office by Microsoft
Office by Microsoft
Office by Microsoft
Office Long Term Servicing Channel by Microsoft
View all CVEs affecting Office Long Term Servicing Channel →
Office Long Term Servicing Channel by Microsoft
View all CVEs affecting Office Long Term Servicing Channel →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the victim's computer, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to data exfiltration, malware installation, or persistence establishment on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to application sandboxing, reduced privileges, or security controls blocking malicious document execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires user interaction (opening malicious document). No public exploit code available at disclosure time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: January 2025 Security Update
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-47162
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open any Office application. 2. Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. 3. Restart Office applications. 4. For enterprise deployments, deploy via Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or Group Policy.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block Office file types via Group Policy
windowsPrevent execution of potentially malicious Office documents by blocking specific file extensions.
Use Group Policy: Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Software Restriction Policies
Enable Protected View
windowsForce all documents from the Internet to open in Protected View, preventing automatic code execution.
File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View > Enable all Protected View options
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to only allow trusted Office executables
- Deploy network segmentation to isolate Office systems from critical assets
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Office version via File > Account > About [Application]. Compare with patched versions listed in Microsoft advisory.Check Version:
In Word/Excel/PowerPoint: File > Account > About [Application] shows version detailsVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Office build number matches or exceeds the patched version specified in Microsoft's security update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Office application crashes with heap corruption errors
- Unusual child processes spawned from Office applications
- Suspicious document opens from untrusted sources
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Office processes to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains following document opens
SIEM Query:
EventID=1000 OR EventID=1001 Source=Office Application AND (ExceptionCode=0xc0000005 OR ExceptionCode=0xc0000409)