CVE-2024-38189 Microsoft Project: command or code injection
In plain words: The program treats text it receives as instructions instead of plain data. The attacker can run commands on the machine — often the whole device is taken over.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline Sep 3, 2024
What to do
- Install Microsoft's security update for Project. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
- Patch anything in this catalog first, ahead of normal patch cycles.
- Put admin and file-transfer apps behind a VPN or single sign-on instead of the open internet.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: Mass data theft and ransomware: a single flaw in a file-transfer or email server has exposed thousands of organisations at once.
The details
- Official name
- Microsoft Project Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Product
- Microsoft Project
- CISA description
- Microsoft Project contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for remote code execution via a malicious file.
- Type of flaw
- Command or code injection (CWE-20)
- Confirmed exploited
- Aug 13, 2024
- US federal patch deadline
- Sep 3, 2024
Ask Cleus about it
Ask about a vulnerability, an update, a weird message, or the news. Plain-word answers, free, no account.
Answering about CVE-2024-38189 ·
Questions about CVE-2024-38189
Is CVE-2024-38189 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2024-38189 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Aug 13, 2024, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2024-38189?
Install Microsoft's security update for Project. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
Am I affected by CVE-2024-38189?
Only if you use Microsoft Project. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.