CVE-2020-17066 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Vulnerability was published on November 10, 2020, with a CVSS base score of 7.8.

Understanding CVE-2020-17066

This CVE identifies a Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2010 Service Pack 2.

What is CVE-2020-17066?

The CVE-2020-17066 is a security vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.

The Impact of CVE-2020-17066

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as HIGH, with a CVSS base score of 7.8, posing a significant risk to affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-17066

This section provides technical details about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running Microsoft Excel 2010 Service Pack 2.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: Microsoft
Product: Microsoft Excel 2010 Service Pack 2
Platforms: 32-bit Systems, x64-based Systems
Versions Affected: 13.0.0.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by attackers to execute malicious code on vulnerable systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2020-17066 with these mitigation strategies.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by Microsoft promptly.
Consider restricting access to Microsoft Excel files from untrusted sources.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update Microsoft Excel and other software to the latest versions.
Educate users on safe computing practices and the risks of opening files from unknown sources.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all security patches and updates released by Microsoft for Microsoft Excel 2010 Service Pack 2 are applied to mitigate the vulnerability.