CVE-2021-27056: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Microsoft PowerPoint Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2021-27056) was disclosed on March 9, 2021. This vulnerability affects various versions of Microsoft PowerPoint, including PowerPoint 2010 SP2, 2013 SP1, 2016, and Microsoft 365 Apps Enterprise edition (NVD).

The vulnerability exists within the processing of PowerPoint presentation files. The specific flaw results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (ZDI Advisory).

If successfully exploited, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process on affected installations of Microsoft PowerPoint. The attack requires user interaction, where the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file (ZDI Advisory).

The vulnerability requires user interaction to be exploited. An attacker would need to convince a user to open a specially crafted PowerPoint file designed to take advantage of the vulnerability (Microsoft Advisory).

Microsoft has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Users should apply the appropriate security updates for their version of PowerPoint. The updates are available through Microsoft Update or can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Update Catalog (Microsoft Support).