CVE-2010-3333 — Microsoft Office Stack-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Stack-based buffer overflow in Microsoft Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, Office 2007 SP2, Office 2010, Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac, Office for Mac 2011, and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted RTF data, aka "RTF Stack Buffer Overflow Vulnerability."
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Exploited by 2 threat actor(s) (MITRE ATT&CK)+10
- Public exploit/PoC (metasploit, exploitdb)+20
- EPSS 89.4% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — docs.microsoft.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
CISA required action CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal deadline: Mar 24, 2022 — passed 1666 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Microsoft Office, Microsoft Open Xml File Format Converter).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Office | version 2003-sp3version 2004version 2007-sp2version 2008version 2010version 2011version xp-sp3 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Open Xml File Format Converter | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 1.8 | 5.9 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 7.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 9.3 | CVSS 2.0 | High | 8.6 | 10.0 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- Microsoft Word - '.RTF' pFragments Stack Buffer Overflow (File Format) (MS10-087) (Metasploit) verified Mar 4, 2011
- Microsoft Office 2010 - '.RTF' Header Stack Overflow verified Jul 3, 2011
- Microsoft Office 2003 Home/Pro - Code Execution (MS10-087) verified Jan 8, 2012
- Microsoft Office 2010 - Download Execute verified Feb 20, 2013
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
Threat actors exploiting this CVE MITRE ATT&CK
According to MITRE ATT&CK.
Aoqin Dragon G1007Transparent Tribe G0134EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 89.39%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Mar 3, 2022 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · microsoft/office, microsoft/open xml file format converter
- CVSS changed · 7.8
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2022
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- 2010
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
13 on the record
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-087
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- securityreason.com/securityalert/8293
- secunia.com/advisories/38521
- labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/display.php
- secunia.com/advisories/42144
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/2923
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11931
- www.securitytracker.com/id
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/44652
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-3333
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-r838-75c6-gjj4
- www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-313A.html
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-47293 Microsoft Office Click-To-Run Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability Jun 9, 2026
- High CVE-2026-42831 Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability May 12, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-42832 Microsoft Office Spoofing Vulnerability May 12, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-40421 Microsoft Word Information Disclosure Vulnerability May 12, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40419 Microsoft Office Click-To-Run Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability May 12, 2026
- High CVE-2026-40420 Microsoft Office Click-To-Run Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability May 12, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2010-3333 is "Microsoft Office Stack-based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Office (Microsoft); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 7.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 89.39% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
Comments
Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.
No comments yet.
Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.