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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-013 - Critical

Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (947108)

Published: | Updated:

Version: 1.4

General Information

Executive Summary

This critical security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file with a malformed object inserted into the document. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability 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 all supported editions of Microsoft Office 2000 and an important security update for Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

This security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way that Microsoft Office loads documents with inserted objects. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately

Known Issues. None

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The following software 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 SoftwareMaximum Security ImpactAggregate Severity RatingBulletins Replaced by this Update
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3
(KB944425)
Remote Code ExecutionCriticalMS06-047
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3
(KB944423)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS06-047
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2
(KB945185)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantNone
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
(KB948056)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS07-060

Non-Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Software
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003
Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 Viewer
Microsoft Visio 2003 Viewer
Microsoft Word Viewer 2003
2007 Microsoft Office System
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Microsoft Office Execution Jump Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0103

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:

  • Shaun Colley of NGSSoftware for reporting the Microsoft Office Execution Jump Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0103).

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.
  • V1.2 (February 27, 2008): Bulletin updated to reflect the reason why this update cannot be uninstalled for Office XP and Office 2003.
  • V1.3 (April 16, 2008): Bulletin updated: Added entry to Update FAQ to describe additional security features included for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.
  • V1.4 (January 12, 2010): Bulletin updated: Corrected the bulletin replaced information for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.