Launch Printer Friendly Page Security TechCenter > Security Bulletins > Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-005

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-005

Vulnerability in Microsoft Office XP could allow Remote Code Execution (873352)

Issued: February 8, 2005
Updated: March 3, 2005
Version: 1.3

Summary

Who should read this document: Customers who use Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Project 2002, Microsoft Visio 2002 or Microsoft Works Suite.

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers should install the update immediately.

Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces a prior security update. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of this bulletin for the complete list.

Caveats: None

Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:

Affected Software:

Note Office XP Service Pack 2 and Office XP Service Pack 3 are both vulnerable to this issue. However the security update for Office XP Service Pack 2 is only provided as part of the Office XP administrative security update. For more information, see the Security Update Information section.

Non-Affected Software:

  • Microsoft Office 2000
  • Microsoft Office 2003

The software in this list has been tested to determine if the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support lifecycle for your product and version, visit the following Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.

General Information

Executive Summary

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update

Vulnerability Details

Security Update Information

Other Information

Acknowledgments

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

  • Rafel Ivgi from Finjan Software Ltd for reporting the Office XP Vulnerability (CAN-2004-0848).

Obtaining Other Security Updates:

Updates for other security issues are available from the following locations:

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.

Security Resources:

Software Update Services:

By using Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003-based servers, and to desktop systems that are running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.

For more information about how to deploy this security update with Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server:

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) delivers a highly-configurable enterprise solution for managing updates. By using SMS, administrators can identify Windows-based systems that require security updates and to perform controlled deployment of these updates throughout the enterprise with minimal disruption to end users. For more information about how administrators can use SMS 2003 to deploy security updates, see the SMS 2003 Security Patch Management Web site. SMS 2.0 users can also use Software Updates Service Feature Pack to help deploy security updates. For information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.

Note SMS uses the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin update detection and deployment. Some software updates may not be detected by these tools. Administrators can use the inventory capabilities of the SMS in these cases to target updates to specific systems. For more information about this procedure, see the following Web site. Some security updates require administrative rights following a restart of the system. Administrators can use the Elevated Rights Deployment Tool (available in the SMS 2003 Administration Feature Pack and in the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack) to install these updates.

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 8, 2005): Bulletin published
  • V1.1 (February 15, 2005): Bulletin updated to clarify prerequisites under Visio 2002 Update Information.
  • V1.2 (February 23, 2005): Bulletin updated to add an additional FAQ as well as clarify install steps under Update Information.
  • V1.3 (March 3, 2005): Bulletin updated to add a feature list for all products under the Update Information section, Administrative Installation details.