Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Microsoft Office (CVE‑2015‑1641) Enables RCE via Malicious RTF Files
What It Is — Microsoft Office fails to correctly handle Rich Text Format (RTF) files in memory, leading to a memory‑corruption condition. An attacker who convinces a user to open a crafted RTF can trigger remote code execution (RCE) in the context of that user’s account.
Exploitability — The flaw is publicly listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. No public proof‑of‑concept is required beyond delivering the malicious RTF. CVSS v3.1 base score: 7.8 (High).
Affected Products — Microsoft Office (all versions that process RTF files on Windows).
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Patch Management Evidence – Demonstrating that the latest Office updates are applied provides concrete audit evidence of a core security control.
- Continuous Configuration Monitoring – Automated inventory of Office versions and their patch levels supports a defensible posture across NIST CSF 2.0’s Protect and Detect functions.
- Incident‑Readiness Readiness – Knowing that a critical RCE vector exists forces organizations to validate their response playbooks and logging, reinforcing a trustworthy audit trail.
Recommended Actions
- Deploy Microsoft’s security update for CVE‑2015‑1641 immediately on all endpoints.
- Verify patch status through a centralized asset‑management tool; capture screenshots or logs as evidence of remediation.
- Harden Office handling of RTF files (disable automatic opening, enforce macro restrictions).
- Update your incident‑response playbook to include detection of suspicious RTF activity and ensure logging is enabled.
- Map the patch‑management control to your framework of record to demonstrate compliance.
Source: CISA KEV – CVE‑2015‑1641