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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-012 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (905413)

Published: | Updated:

Version: 1.5

Summary

Who should read this document: Customers who use Microsoft Office

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately.

Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces several prior security updates. 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:

Non-Affected Software:

  • Microsoft Office Excel 2000 Viewer
  • Microsoft Office Excel 2002 Viewer
  • Microsoft Word 2003
  • Microsoft Outlook 2003
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2003

The software in this list has been tested to determine whether the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support life cycle for your product and version, visit the 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:

  • Ollie Whitehouse of Symantec for reporting the Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed Routing Slip Vulnerability - CVE-2006-0009
  • FelicioX for working with Microsoft on the Microsoft Office Excel Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed Range Vulnerability – CVE-2005-4131
  • Peter Winter-Smith of NGS Software for reporting similar behavior to the Remote Code Execution with Microsoft Office Excel Vulnerability - CVE-2005-4131
  • Arnaud Dovi working with TippingPoint and the Zero Day Initiative for reporting the Microsoft Office Excel Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed File Format Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-0028
  • Dejun of the Fortinet Security Response Team for reporting the Microsoft Office Excel Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed Description Vulnerability - CVE-2006-0029
  • Eyas of the XFOCUS Security Team for reporting the Microsoft Office Excel Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed Record Vulnerability – CVE-2006-0031

Obtaining Other Security Updates:

Updates for other security issues are available at 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 security updates by using Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site.

Windows Server Update Services:

By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates for Windows 2000 operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000 onto Windows 2000 and later operating systems.

For more information about how to deploy security updates using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server 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 can 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, visit 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, the Microsoft Office Detection Tool, and the Enterprise Update Scanning 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, visit 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 (March 14, 2006): Bulletin published.
  • V1.2 (March 17, 2006): Bulletin revised: Removed MS05-012 and MS06-010 from “What updates does this release replace?” in the “Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update” section. Updated the “Mitigations and Work Around” section for all vulnerabilities to provide additional clarity around Office 2000 in addition updated the” Acknowledgments” section for CVE-2006-0028.
  • V1.3 (November 29, 2006): Bulletin Updated: “What updates does this release replace?” for Microsoft Outlook in the “Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update” section.
  • V1.4 (December 6, 2006): Bulletin Updated: “What updates does this release replace?” for Microsoft Outlook in the “Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update” section.
  • V1.5 (December 27, 2006): Bulletin Updated to provide additional clarity for “What updates does this release replace?” for Microsoft Outlook in the “Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update” section.