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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-012 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Publisher Could Allow Remote Code Execution (947085)

Published: | Updated:

Version: 1.2

General Information

Executive Summary

This critical security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Publisher that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Publisher file. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This is a critical security update for supported releases of Microsoft Office Publisher 2000; supported releases of Microsoft Office Publisher 2002; and supported editions of Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 Service Pack 2. Microsoft Publisher 2003 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Office Publisher 2007, and Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 Service Pack 1 are not impacted by this vulnerability. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

This security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying the way that Microsoft Office Publisher handles specially crafted Publisher files. For more information about the vulnerabilities, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers should apply the update immediately.

Known Issues. None

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The software listed here has been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Affected SoftwareComponentMaximum Security ImpactAggregate Severity RatingBulletins Replaced by This Update
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3Microsoft Office Publisher 2000
(KB946255)
Remote Code ExecutionCriticalMS06-054
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3Microsoft Office Publisher 2002
(KB946216)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS06-054
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 Service Pack 2
(KB946254)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS06-054

Non-Affected Software

Office SuiteApplication
2007 Microsoft Office SystemMicrosoft Office Publisher 2007
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 Service Pack 1
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 Service Pack 3

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Publisher Invalid Memory Reference Vulnerability – CVE-2008-0102

Publisher Memory Corruption Vulnerability – CVE-2008-0104

Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

Security Update Deployment

Other Information

Acknowledgments

Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers:

  • Piotr Bania for reporting the Publisher Invalid Memory Reference Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0102.
  • Bing Liu of Fortinet Security Research for reporting the Publisher Invalid Memory Reference Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0102.
  • Bing Liu of Fortinet Security Research for reporting the Publisher Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0104.

Support

  • Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates.
  • International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.

Disclaimer

The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.

Revisions

  • V1.0 (February 12, 2008): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (February 13, 2008): Bulletin updated to reflect that there are no known issues with installing this security update, and to list Microsoft Publisher 2003 Service Pack 2 (instead of Service Pack 3) in the MBSA and SMS tables under Detection and Deployment.
  • V1.2 (September 10, 2008): Bulletin updated to add FAQ entry to clarify why non-vulnerable versions of Microsoft Office can be offered this update.