Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2013-7332 is a denial-of-service issue in the Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX control on Microsoft Windows 8.1 and earlier. A remote attacker could cause excessive memory and CPU use through specially structured XML. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, patch details, or confirmed exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a legacy exposure management issue unless vulnerable systems remain business-critical or internet-facing. Priority rises where outdated Windows, Internet Explorer, or ActiveX workflows are still required.
Technical view
The flaw involves improper recursion detection during XML entity expansion in Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX. Deeply nested entity references can exhaust resources, similar to CVE-2003-1564. The record names Windows 8.1 and earlier, but the bundled affected-product data is incomplete.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most plausible on legacy Windows endpoints or applications that still allow Internet Explorer or ActiveX-based XMLDOM processing. Exact affected editions, configurations, and patch levels are not enumerated in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The CVE describes remote denial of service through malicious XML processing. KEV status is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation or public weaponization for this CVE.
Researcher notes
The public record is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, precise CPEs, or remediation details are included. Analysis should avoid assuming affected builds beyond Windows 8.1 and earlier and should verify vendor advisories before closure.
Mitigation direction
- Check Microsoft/vendor guidance for official updates or configuration mitigations.
- Prioritize retirement or isolation of Windows 8.1 and earlier systems.
- Reduce reliance on Internet Explorer and ActiveX where business processes still use them.
- Harden endpoints that process untrusted XML in browser or ActiveX contexts.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Windows 8.1 and earlier systems still in use.
- Identify applications or workflows using Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX.
- Confirm patch and support status against vendor guidance.
- Review security controls limiting untrusted XML and ActiveX execution.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2013-7332 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://soroush.secproject.com/blog/2013/04/microsoft-xmldom-in-ie-can-divulge-information-of-local-drivenetwork-in-error-messages/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.