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OSINT Microsoft Office Zero-Day CVE-2015-2424 Leveraged By Tsar Team report by iSight

High
VulnerabilityCVE-2015-2424osinttype:osinttlp:white
Published: Wed Jul 15 2015 (07/15/2015, 00:00:00 UTC)
Source: CIRCL
Vendor/Project: type
Product: osint

Description

OSINT Microsoft Office Zero-Day CVE-2015-2424 Leveraged By Tsar Team report by iSight

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 06/18/2025, 12:50:19 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-2424 is a zero-day vulnerability affecting Microsoft Office, specifically leveraged by the Tsar Team as reported by iSight. This vulnerability allows attackers to exploit a flaw within Microsoft Office to execute arbitrary code or potentially compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. Although the exact technical details of the vulnerability are not provided in the source information, the classification as a zero-day indicates that the vulnerability was unknown to Microsoft at the time of exploitation, leaving systems unprotected against attacks leveraging this flaw. The Tsar Team, known for targeted cyber espionage campaigns, reportedly utilized this vulnerability to conduct attacks, suggesting that the exploit was weaponized in real-world scenarios. The absence of patch links and the indication that no known exploits were publicly documented at the time imply that this vulnerability was either under active investigation or exploited in a limited, targeted manner. Given the nature of Microsoft Office as a widely used productivity suite across enterprises and governments, exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute malicious code via crafted Office documents, leading to potential data breaches, system compromise, and lateral movement within networks. The threat level and analysis scores suggest a high priority for investigation and mitigation, although detailed technical specifics remain limited in the provided data.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2015-2424 could be significant due to the widespread use of Microsoft Office products across both private and public sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, disruption of business operations, and potential compromise of critical infrastructure. Given the Tsar Team's involvement, which is associated with espionage activities, organizations in sectors such as government, defense, finance, and critical infrastructure are at heightened risk. The vulnerability could facilitate targeted attacks that bypass traditional security controls by leveraging trusted document formats, increasing the likelihood of successful phishing or spear-phishing campaigns. Additionally, the potential for remote code execution without user authentication increases the threat surface, making it easier for attackers to infiltrate networks. The lack of publicly available patches at the time of reporting further exacerbates the risk, leaving organizations exposed until mitigations or updates are applied.

Mitigation Recommendations

Given the absence of official patches linked to this vulnerability, European organizations should implement specific mitigations beyond generic advice: 1) Enforce strict email filtering and sandboxing to detect and block malicious Office documents before reaching end users. 2) Disable or restrict macros and ActiveX controls in Microsoft Office applications unless explicitly required and verified. 3) Employ application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code spawned by malicious documents. 4) Utilize endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for anomalous behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. 5) Conduct targeted user awareness training focusing on recognizing spear-phishing attempts involving Office documents. 6) Maintain up-to-date backups and implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement in case of compromise. 7) Monitor threat intelligence feeds for updates on patches or indicators of compromise related to CVE-2015-2424 and Tsar Team activities to enable timely response.

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Technical Details

Threat Level
1
Analysis
2
Original Timestamp
1466000979

Threat ID: 682acdbcbbaf20d303f0b544

Added to database: 5/19/2025, 6:20:44 AM

Last enriched: 6/18/2025, 12:50:19 PM

Last updated: 7/30/2025, 12:04:35 AM

Views: 13

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