Overview
The WordPad Text Converter for Word 97 files included in some versions of Windows contains an unspecified error which can allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.
Description
Microsoft WordPad is a text editor included by default with the Windows operating system. It includes WordPad Text Converters that allow users who do not have Microsoft Word installed to open documents in older file formats, including Microsoft Office Word 97. An unspecified error in the way that the WordPad Text Converter for Word 97 handles files in this format results in memory corruption that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Microsoft Office Word 97 files may have file extensions such as .doc, .wri, or .rtf. While Microsoft Office Word has the ability to open Office Word 97 files, it is not affected by this vulnerability. However, in the default configuration, Windows will open files having the .wri extension with WordPad. Therefore, it is likely that systems that have Microsoft Office Word installed will still open a malicious Microsoft Office Word 97 document with this extension using the affected WordPad. |
Impact
By convincing a user to view a specially crafted Word 97 document (e.g., an attachment supplied in email), a remote attacker may be able to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user. |
Solution
We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem. |
Disable the WordPad Text Converter for Word 97 file format |
Vendor Information
CVSS Metrics
| Group | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Base | ||
| Temporal | ||
| Environmental |
References
Acknowledgements
This document was written by Chad R Dougherty.
Other Information
| CVE IDs: | CVE-2008-4841 |
| Severity Metric: | 6.89 |
| Date Public: | 2008-12-09 |
| Date First Published: | 2008-12-11 |
| Date Last Updated: | 2008-12-11 18:59 UTC |
| Document Revision: | 12 |