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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-057 - Important

Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2269707)

Published: | Updated:

Version: 1.1

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Office. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user. 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 security update is rated Important for all supported editions of Microsoft Office Excel 2002, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac; and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The update addresses the vulnerability by changing the way that Microsoft Office Excel parses specially crafted Excel files. 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 at the earliest opportunity.

Known Issues. Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2269707 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when installing this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues.

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The following software have 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 SoftwareComponentMaximum Security ImpactAggregate Severity RatingBulletins Replaced by this Update
Microsoft Office Suites and Components
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3Microsoft Office Excel 2002 Service Pack 3
(KB2264397)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-038
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB2264403)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-036,
MS10-038
Microsoft Office for Mac
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
(KB2284171)
Not applicableRemote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-038
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
(KB2284162)
Not applicableRemote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-038
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
(KB2284179)
Not applicableRemote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-038

Non-Affected Software

Office and Other Software
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (32-bit editions)
Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (64-bit editions)
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2
Microsoft Works 9

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Excel Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2010-2562

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:

Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP)

To improve security protections for customers, Microsoft provides vulnerability information to major security software providers in advance of each monthly security update release. Security software providers can then use this vulnerability information to provide updated protections to customers via their security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. To determine whether active protections are available from security software providers, please visit the active protections Web sites provided by program partners, listed in Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) Partners.

Support

  • Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from Security Support or 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates. For more information about available support options, see Microsoft Help and Support.
  • 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 (August 10, 2010): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (August 11, 2010): Added a link to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2269707 under Known Issues in the Executive Summary.