Remote code execution via RTF font-table overflow
Published Feb 14, 2023 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Heap corruption in Microsoft Word and Office products allows remote attackers to execute code through a crafted RTF document. The wwlib RTF parser uses overflowing integer arithmetic while indexing an excessive font table, causing writes outside its allocated heap buffer. Preview Pane rendering can reach the flaw, and successful exploitation runs code with the privileges of the affected application or service.
Summary
What happened
Heap corruption in Microsoft Word and Office products allows remote attackers to execute code through a crafted RTF document. The wwlib RTF parser uses overflowing integer arithmetic while indexing an excessive font table, causing writes outside its allocated heap buffer. Preview Pane rendering can reach the flaw, and successful exploitation runs code with the privileges of the affected application or service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-21716
- Published
- Feb 14, 2023
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013
- Classifications
- CWE-190, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 14, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=15.0.0 <15.0.5529.1000
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Microsoft Word RTF Font Table Heap Corruption PoCproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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