CVE-2023-36884

HIGH KEV RANSOMWARE

Microsoft Windows Search - Remote Code Execution

Title source: manual
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2023-36884 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added July 17, 2023, with confirmed use in ransomware campaigns. EIP tracks 9 public exploits from researchers including jakabakos, Maxwitat, tarraschk.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This PoC generates a malicious DOCX file with an embedded RTF altChunk containing a linked OLE object. The exploit leverages CVE-2023-36884 to achieve RCE via crafted Office documents, as used in the Storm-0978 phishing campaign.

Description

Windows Search Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Exploits (9)

nomisec WORKING POC 41 stars
by jakabakos · client-side
https://github.com/jakabakos/CVE-2023-36884-MS-Office-HTML-RCE

This PoC generates a malicious DOCX file with an embedded RTF altChunk containing a linked OLE object. The exploit leverages CVE-2023-36884 to achieve RCE via crafted Office documents, as used in the Storm-0978 phishing campaign.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Office (OOXML documents)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Python environment with python-docx and pywin32 · Microsoft Word installed for OLE object insertion · Victim interaction to open the document
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 27 stars
by Maxwitat · poc
https://github.com/Maxwitat/CVE-2023-36884-Scripts-for-Intune-Remediation-SCCM-Compliance-Baseline

This repository contains PowerShell scripts for detecting and remediating CVE-2023-36884, a vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The scripts check and set registry keys to mitigate the vulnerability by blocking cross-protocol file navigation.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Office (various versions)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Administrative access to modify registry keys
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 15 stars
by tarraschk · poc
https://github.com/tarraschk/CVE-2023-36884-Checker

This repository contains PowerShell scripts to check, apply, and remove registry-based mitigations for CVE-2023-36884, a vulnerability in Microsoft Office applications. The scripts verify or modify registry keys to block cross-protocol file navigation as recommended by Microsoft.

Classification
Scanner 100%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Graph, MSAccess, MSPub, PowerPnt, Visio, WinProj, WinWord, Wordpad)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to the target system's registry · PowerShell execution rights (admin rights for mitigation scripts)
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 2 stars
by ridsoliveira · poc
https://github.com/ridsoliveira/Fix-CVE-2023-36884

This repository provides a PowerShell script to mitigate CVE-2023-36884 by configuring registry keys as recommended by Microsoft. It is not an exploit but a defensive measure.

Classification
Writeup 100%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Windows (multiple Office applications)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Administrative access to modify registry keys
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 2 stars
by zerosorai · poc
https://github.com/zerosorai/CVE-2023-36884

This PoC mitigates CVE-2023-36884 by setting registry values to block cross-protocol file navigation in Microsoft Office applications. It modifies the registry to disable the vulnerability in applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Administrative privileges to modify registry keys
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 1 stars
by raresteak · poc
https://github.com/raresteak/CVE-2023-36884

This repository contains only a README.md with references to Microsoft documentation and a hashtag mentioning Storm-0978, but no actual exploit code or technical details. It appears to be a placeholder or informational writeup.

Classification
Writeup 30%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Theoretical
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 1 stars
by deepinstinct · poc
https://github.com/deepinstinct/Storm0978-RomCom-Campaign

This repository contains a writeup about a campaign abusing CVE-2023-36884, with no actual exploit code provided. It includes a disclaimer and references to the Storm0978 RomCom campaign.

Classification
Writeup 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: unknown
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by or2me · poc
https://github.com/or2me/CVE-2023-36884_patcher

This repository contains a C# application that applies a registry-based patch to mitigate CVE-2023-36884, a vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The tool checks for administrative privileges and Office installation before applying the patch.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Office 2016 and later
Auth required
Prerequisites: Administrator privileges · Microsoft Office installed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (3)

Core 3

Scores

CVSS v3 7.5
EPSS 0.9908
EPSS Percentile 99.9%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable no
Technical Impact total

Details

CISA KEV 2023-07-17
VulnCheck KEV 2023-07-05
InTheWild.io 2023-07-05
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2023-40804
Ransomware Use Confirmed
CWE
CWE-362
Status published
Products (14)
microsoft/windows_10_1507 < 10.0.10240.20107
microsoft/windows_10_1607 < 10.0.14393.6167 (2 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1809 < 10.0.17763.4737 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_21h2 < 10.0.19044.3324
microsoft/windows_10_22h2 < 10.0.19044.3324
microsoft/windows_11_21h2 < 10.0.22000.2295
microsoft/windows_11_22h2 < 10.0.22621.2134
microsoft/windows_server_2008
microsoft/windows_server_2008 r2 sp1
microsoft/windows_server_2012
... and 4 more
Published Jul 11, 2023
KEV Added Jul 17, 2023
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026