Microsoft Excel CVE-2013-3159 XML Files Handling Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Description

Microsoft Excel is prone to an information-disclosure vulnerability. Attackers can exploit this issue to obtain sensitive information that may aid in further attacks.

Technologies Affected

• Microsoft Excel 2003 SP3
• Microsoft Excel 2007 SP3
• Microsoft Excel 2010 SP1 (32-bit editions)
• Microsoft Excel 2010 SP1 (64-bit editions)
• Microsoft Excel 2010 SP2 (32-bit editions)
• Microsoft Excel 2010 SP2 (64-bit editions)
• Microsoft Excel Viewer
• Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack SP3

Recommendations

Run all software as a nonprivileged user with minimal access rights.
When possible, run all software as a user with minimal privileges and limited access to system resources. Use additional precautions such as restrictive environments to insulate software that may potentially handle malicious content.

Deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor network traffic for malicious activity.
Deploy NIDS to monitor network traffic for signs of anomalous or suspicious activity. This may indicate exploit attempts or activity that results from successful exploits.

Do not follow links provided by unknown or untrusted sources.
Web users should be cautious about following links to sites that are provided by unfamiliar or suspicious sources. Filtering HTML from emails may help remove a possible vector for transmitting malicious links to users.

Updates are available. Please see the references or vendor advisory for more information.