3 New Code Execution Flaws Discovered in Atlantis Word Processor

Cybersecurity researchers at Cisco Talos have once again
discovered multiple critical security vulnerabilities in the
Atlantis Word Processor that allow remote attackers to
execute arbitrary code and take over affected computers.

An alternative to Microsoft Word, Atlantis Word Processor is a
fast-loading word processor application that allows users to
create, read and edit word documents effortlessly. It can also be
used to convert TXT, RTF, ODT, DOC, WRI, or DOCX documents to
ePub.

Just 50 days after disclosing 8 code execution
vulnerabilities^[1]
in previous versions of Atlantis Word Processor, Talos team today
revealed details and proof-of-concept exploits for 3 more remote
code execution vulnerabilities in the application.

All the three vulnerabilities, listed below, allow attackers to
corrupt the application’s memory and execute arbitrary code under
the context of the application.

• Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size (CVE-2018-4038) —
  an exploitable arbitrary write vulnerability resides in the open
  document format parser of Atlantis Word Processor while trying to
  null-terminate a string.
• Improper Validation of Array Index (CVE-2018-4039) — an
  out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in the PNG implementation
  of.
• Use of Uninitialized Variable (CVE-2018-4040) — an
  exploitable uninitialized pointer vulnerability exists in the rich
  text format parser of Atlantis Word Processor.

All these vulnerabilities affect Atlantis Word Processor versions
3.2.7.1, 3.2.7.2 and can be exploited by convincing a victim into
opening a specially crafted malicious booby-trapped document.
Talos researchers responsibly reported all the vulnerabilities to
the developers of the affected software, who have now released an
updated version
3.2.10.1^[2] that addresses the
issues.

If you haven’t yet, you are highly advised to update your word
processing software to the latest version and security enthusiasts
who are interested in learning more about these issues can head on
to Talos blog for technical
details^[3].

The easiest way to prevent yourself from being a victim of
attacks leveraging such vulnerabilities is never to open any
document provided in an email from unknown or untrusted
sources.