CVE-2013-3906
Microsoft Office 2003 … 2010
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2013-3906 is a high-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Microsoft Office. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
GDI+ in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2, along with Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP3, 2010 SP1 and SP2, Office Compatibility Pack SP3, and multiple Lync 2010 and 2013 editions, contains a code injection flaw tracked as CVE-2013-3906. The vulnerability permits remote attackers to execute arbitrary code when a victim processes a malicious TIFF image, which may be embedded in a Word document or other Office file.
An attacker can exploit the issue by supplying a crafted document that triggers the flaw during image rendering in GDI+. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to run arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user, achieving full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected system.
Microsoft security bulletins, including MS13-096, and the associated advisory 2896666 direct administrators to apply the vendor-supplied patches for the listed products. Detection guidance and exploit analysis are also provided in Microsoft and McAfee technical blogs.
The vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during October and November 2013, with public exploit code later appearing on Exploit-DB.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2013-3838
Vulnerability Data
GDI+ in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2; Office 2003 SP3, 2007 SP3, and 2010 SP1 and SP2; Office Compatibility Pack SP3; and Lync 2010, 2010 Attendee, 2013, and Basic 2013 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code…
more
via a crafted TIFF image, as demonstrated by an image in a Word document, and exploited in the wild in October and November 2013.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 15 February 2022
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.3.1
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.
Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.
Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.
Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).
PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.
Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.