Hackers have lengthy used Phrase and Excel paperwork as supply autos for malware, and in 2025, these tips are removed from outdated. From phishing schemes to zero-click exploits, malicious Workplace information are nonetheless one of many best methods right into a sufferer’s system.
Listed here are the highest three Microsoft Workplace-based exploits nonetheless making the rounds this 12 months and what it is advisable know to keep away from them.
1. Phishing in MS Workplace: Nonetheless Hackers’ Favourite
Phishing assaults utilizing Microsoft Workplace information have been round for years, they usually’re nonetheless going robust. Why? As a result of they work, particularly in enterprise environments the place groups always change Phrase and Excel paperwork.
Attackers know that individuals are used to opening Workplace information, particularly if they arrive from what seems like a colleague, a shopper, or a accomplice. A faux bill, a shared report, or a job supply: it would not take a lot to persuade somebody to click on. And as soon as the file is open, the attacker has their probability.
Phishing with Workplace information usually goals to steal login credentials. These paperwork would possibly embody:
- Hyperlinks to faux Microsoft 365 login pages
- Phishing portals that mimic firm instruments or providers
- Redirect chains that ultimately land on credential-harvesting websites
On this ANY.RUN malware evaluation session, an Excel file comprises malicious phishing hyperlink:
View evaluation session with Excel file
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| Excel file containing malicious hyperlink detected inside ANY.RUN sandbox |
When clicked, the sufferer is taken to a webpage that reveals a Cloudflare “Confirm you are a human” verify.
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| CloudFlare verification handed with ANY.RUN’s automated interactivity |
After clicking by, there’s one other redirect; this time to a faux Microsoft login web page.
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| Malicious hyperlink to faux Microsoft login web page with random characters |
At first look, it’d look actual. However contained in the ANY.RUN sandbox, it is simple to identify pink flags. The Microsoft login URL is not official; it is stuffed with random characters and clearly would not belong to Microsoft’s area.
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This faux login web page is the place the sufferer unknowingly palms over their login credentials straight to the attacker.
Attackers are additionally getting extra inventive. Recently, some phishing paperwork include QR codes embedded in them. These are supposed to be scanned with a smartphone, sending the sufferer to a phishing web site or triggering a malware obtain. Nonetheless, they are often detected and analyzed with instruments like ANY.RUN sandbox too.
2. CVE-2017-11882: The Equation Editor Exploit That Will not Die
First found in 2017, CVE-2017-11882 continues to be exploited in the present day, in environments operating outdated variations of Microsoft Workplace.
This vulnerability targets the Microsoft Equation Editor – a hardly ever used part that was a part of older Workplace builds. Exploiting it’s dangerously easy: simply opening a malicious Phrase file can set off the exploit. No macros, no further clicks wanted.
On this case, the attacker makes use of the flaw to obtain and run a malware payload within the background, usually by a distant server connection.
In our evaluation session, the payload delivered was Agent Tesla, a recognized info-stealer used to seize keystrokes, credentials, and clipboard information.
View evaluation session with malicious payload
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| Phishing e mail containing malicious Excel attachment |
Within the MITRE ATT&CK part of this evaluation, we will see how ANY.RUN sandbox detected this particular approach used within the assault:
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| Exploitation of Equation Editor detected by ANY.RUN |
Though Microsoft patched the vulnerability years in the past, it is nonetheless helpful for attackers concentrating on techniques that have not been up to date. And with macros disabled by default in newer Workplace variations, CVE-2017-11882 has develop into a fallback for cybercriminals who need assured execution.
3. CVE-2022-30190: Follina’s Nonetheless within the Sport
The Follina exploit (CVE-2022-30190) continues to be a favourite amongst attackers for one easy motive: it really works with out macros and would not require any consumer interplay past opening a Phrase file.
Follina abuses the Microsoft Assist Diagnostic Device (MSDT) and particular URLs embedded in Workplace paperwork to execute distant code. Which means simply viewing the file is sufficient to launch malicious scripts, usually PowerShell-based, that contact a command-and-control server.
View evaluation session with Follina
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| Follina approach detected inside ANY.RUN sandbox |
In our malware evaluation pattern, the assault went a step additional. We noticed the “stegocampaign” tag, which signifies using steganography – a way the place malware is hidden inside picture information.
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| Use of Steganography within the assault |
The picture is downloaded and processed utilizing PowerShell, extracting the precise payload with out elevating rapid alarms.
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| Picture with malicious payload analyzed inside ANY.RUN |
To make issues worse, Follina is usually utilized in multi-stage assault chains, combining different vulnerabilities or payloads to extend the influence.
What This Means for Groups Utilizing MS Workplace
In case your staff depends closely on Microsoft Workplace for day-to-day work, the assaults talked about above ought to be a wake-up name.
Cybercriminals know Workplace information are trusted and extensively utilized in enterprise. That is why they proceed to use them. Whether or not it is a easy Excel sheet hiding a phishing hyperlink or a Phrase doc silently operating malicious code, these information can pose severe dangers to your group’s safety.
This is what your staff can do:
- Overview how Workplace paperwork are dealt with internally; restrict who can open or obtain information from exterior sources.
- Use instruments like ANY.RUN sandbox to examine suspicious information in a secure, remoted atmosphere earlier than anybody in your staff opens them.
- Replace all Workplace software program commonly and disable legacy options like macros or the Equation Editor the place attainable.
- Keep knowledgeable about new exploit strategies tied to Workplace codecs so your safety staff can reply shortly.
Analyze Cell Malware with ANY.RUN’s New Android OS Assist
The risk would not cease at Workplace information. Cell units at the moment are a key goal, and attackers are spreading malware by faux apps, phishing hyperlinks, and malicious APKs.
This implies a rising assault floor for companies and the necessity for broader visibility.
With ANY.RUN’s new Android OS assist, your safety staff can now:
- Analyze Android malware in an actual cellular atmosphere
- Examine suspicious APK conduct earlier than it hits manufacturing units
- Reply to cellular threats quicker and with extra readability
- Assist incident response throughout each desktop and cellular ecosystems
It is a huge step towards full protection and it is out there on all plans, together with free.
Begin your first Android risk evaluation in the present day and provides your safety analysts the visibility they should shield your cellular assault floor.