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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-088 - Important

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2293386)

Published: | Updated:

Version: 1.3

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted PowerPoint file. An attacker who successfully exploited any of 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 security update is rated Important for supported editions of Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac; and Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The update addresses the vulnerabilities by changing the way that Microsoft PowerPoint parses specially crafted PowerPoint 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 2293386 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when installing this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues. When currently known issues and recommended solutions pertain only to specific releases of this software, this article provides links to further articles.

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

Microsoft Office Suite and Other SoftwareComponentMaximum Security ImpactAggregate Severity RatingBulletins Replaced by this Update
Microsoft Office Suites and Components
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Service Pack 3
(KB2413272)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-004
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB2413304)
Remote Code ExecutionImportantMS10-036
Microsoft Office for Mac
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac[1]Not applicableRemote Code ExecutionImportantNone
Other Microsoft Office Software
Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2
(KB2413381)
Not applicableRemote Code ExecutionImportantMS09-017

[1]The security update for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (KB2505924) is available as of April 12, 2011. See the entry to the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update, that explains how to obtain this update.

Non-Affected Software

Office and Other Software
Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Service Pack 2
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 (32-bit editions)
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 (64-bit editions)
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2
Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer
Microsoft Works 9

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

PowerPoint Parsing Buffer Overflow Vulnerability - CVE-2010-2572

PowerPoint Integer Underflow Causes Heap Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2010-2573

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:

  • Alin Rad Pop of Secunia Research for reporting the PowerPoint Parsing Buffer Overflow Vulnerability (CVE-2010-2572)
  • An anonymous researcher, working with TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative, for reporting the PowerPoint Integer Underflow Causes Heap Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-2010-2573)

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 (November 9, 2010): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (November 9, 2010): Corrected the affected version from "Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer" to "Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2". This is an informational change only. Customers who have already successfully updated their systems, including customers with automatic updating enabled, do not need to take any action. Customers who have not installed this update previously may need to reassess whether their systems require this update based on the affected software as revised.
  • V1.2 (November 17, 2010): Clarified that for Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 and Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, customers also need to install the Microsoft Office update provided in MS10-087 to be protected from the vulnerability described in CVE-2010-2573. This is an informational change only. Customers who have already successfully applied the MS10-087 and the MS10-088 updates do not need to take any action.
  • V1.3 (April 12, 2011): Announced that the security update for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (KB2505924) offered in MS11-021, MS11-022, and MS11-023 also addresses the vulnerabilities described in this security bulletin.