Microsoft Access Connectivity Engine Remote Code Execution
Actively exploited in the wild. Patch or mitigate immediately — don't wait for a maintenance window.
An unauthenticated attacker, with local access to the host, if a user is tricked into opening a malicious file or link, can fully compromise the system — steal data, tamper with it and take it offline.
Microsoft Office Access Connectivity Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Inferred from the weakness type (CWE) and how the flaw is reached — the techniques an attacker would chain to exploit this. Real-world corroboration appears here as threat intel is folded in.
Corroborated threat activity referencing this CVE — with source and confidence, not inference.
Named threat actors and observed ATT&CK techniques appear here as intel feeds are folded in — the ATT&CK chain above stays inferred until then.
Generated by Wavense from the CVE record — an immediate mitigation and the permanent fix.
As an interim measure, organizations should implement strict email and web filtering to block malicious documents and executables. Employ application control solutions (e.g., AppLocker, WDAC) to restrict the execution of untrusted code, especially from user-writable locations. Enhance endpoint detection and response (EDR) monitoring for suspicious process activity related to Microsoft Office applications.
The permanent resolution is to apply the security updates released by Microsoft for CVE-2021-38646 immediately. Ensure all affected Microsoft Office installations are patched to the latest version. Establish a robust patch management process to ensure timely deployment of future security updates to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited.
An attacker can achieve remote code execution on a victim's system by tricking them into opening a specially crafted file. This allows the attacker to run arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-on user, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or further network lateral movement. The business impact includes significant data breaches, operational disruption, and severe reputational damage.
No CWE classification has been assigned.
Other CVEs affecting 365 apps
Microsoft Outlook Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Microsoft Outlook Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Excel software when the software fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka 'Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'.
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the MSHTML engine inproperly validates input, aka "MSHTML Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Excel Viewer, Internet Explorer 10, Office 365 ProPlus.
Equation Editor in Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft Office 2013, and Microsoft Office 2016 allows a remote code execution vulnerability due to the way objects are handled in memory, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability".
Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 SP3, Word 2007 SP3, PowerPoint 2010 SP2, Word 2010 SP2, PowerPoint 2013 SP1, Word 2013 SP1, and PowerPoint 2013 RT SP1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted Office document, aka "Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability."