Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-046 - Important

Why was this bulletin revised on November 13, 2012? 
Microsoft rereleased this bulletin to replace the KB2598361 update with the KB2687626 update for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 to address an issue involving specific digital certificates that were generated by Microsoft without proper timestamp attributes. For more information, see Microsoft Security Advisory 2749655.

Although the rereleased update (KB2687626) replaces the original update (KB2598361) for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3, customers who have successfully installed the KB2598361 update do not need to install the KB2687626 update.

I have already successfully installed the original KB2598361 update for Microsoft Office 2003. Do I need to apply the rereleased update package (KB2687626) released on November 13, 2012? 
No. The rereleased update (KB2687626) only applies to systems running Microsoft Office 2003 on which the original update (KB2598361) has not been installed. Customers who have already successfully installed the original KB2598361 update for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 do not need to take any action. In addition, customers will not be offered the rereleased update (KB2687626) if the original update (KB2598361) is already installed on their systems.

Note In the case where the KB2598361 update is already installed, and then the KB2687626 update is installed on the same system, the installer generates a message that the update is already installed. After the message is generated, the KB2687626 update will replace the KB2598361 update in the list of installed updates. For more information about this installation behavior, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2707960.

Is this update related to Microsoft Security Advisory 2269637? 
Yes, the Visual Basic for Applications Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability (CVE-2012-1854) addressed by this update is related to the class of vulnerabilities, described in Microsoft Security Advisory 2269637, that affects how applications load external libraries. This security update addresses a particular instance of this type of vulnerability.

The update is to a shared component used by Microsoft Office. Will the update be offered to Microsoft Office software that includes the shared component, even if the software does not access the vulnerable code? 
Yes, the update will be offered to systems where the vulnerable shared Office component is detected. This is true even for cases where the Office software includes VBE6.dll but does not access the vulnerable code.

Why are multiple package updates available for Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft Office 2010 Service Pack 1? 
The updates required to address the vulnerability described in this bulletin are offered across different package updates as indicated in the Affected Software table due to the componentized servicing model for Microsoft Office 2010. To be protected from the vulnerability, both updates are required, but they do not need to be installed in a particular order.

Where are the file information details? 
Refer to the reference tables in the Security Update Deployment section for the location of the file information details.

Where are the hashes of the security updates? 
The SHA1 and SHA2 hashes of the security updates can be used to verify the authenticity of downloaded security update packages. For the hash information pertaining to this update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2707960.

I have applied the required Microsoft security updates, but I still have an affected version of the Visual Basic for Applications runtime (VBE6.dll) on my system. How do I update this DLL? 
There are cases where your system might still have an affected version of VBE6.dll even after you have installed the required security updates for Microsoft Office and the update for Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications listed in this bulletin.

If VBE6.dll was installed on your system by a supported version of Microsoft Office, then applying the security update for the affected version of Microsoft Office will replace VBE6.dll with the updated version that addresses the vulnerability described in this bulletin. However, if VBE6.dll was installed on your system by a third-party application, you may have to install an update for that program.

To update VBE6.dll for third-party applications there are two possible scenarios depending on the third-party application's implementation of VBA. If you know that the third-party application is compliant to the recommended best practices for using a shared component as a side-by-side assembly, then applying the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (KB2688865) update will replace VBE6.dll in the shared location with the updated version that addresses the vulnerability described in this bulletin.

On the other hand, if the third-party application does not put VBE6.dll in the shared location as per recommended best practices, then you should contact the third-party application developer and ask them to provide you with an updated version of their application that contains a newer version of the VBE6.dll that addresses the vulnerability described in this bulletin.

This security update only applies to Microsoft software. How can I detect if third-party applications have deployed an affected version of the Visual Basic for Applications runtime (VBE6.dll) on my system? 
Third-party applications that support VBA could deploy VBE6.dll in a location that is not updated by this security update. In the case that you do have a third-party application that has shipped with its own copy of VBE6.dll, to help ensure that your system is fully protected from the vulnerability described in this bulletin, you should contact the developer or vendor responsible for support for the third-party application directly.

For details on how to scan for copies of VBE6.dll on your system, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 978213. Scanning for all copies of VBE6.dll on your system can assist in identifying potentially vulnerable copies that may have been installed by third-party applications.

I am a third-party software developer and I use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications runtime in my application. Is my application vulnerable and how do I update it? 
Developers who redistribute the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications runtime VBE6.dll should download an updated version of the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK from the Summit Software Company. Then, update the application installer with the updated VBA runtime. For more information on best practices on redistributed component use, please see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 835322 and the MSDN article, Isolated Applications and Side-by-side Assemblies.

I am an ISV. Where is the update for Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK? 
The update is available from the Summit Software Company. Summit Software Company is a global supplier of application customization software products and integration support services to independent software vendors (ISVs) and corporate developers. In June 1996, Summit Software entered into an agreement with Microsoft to sell Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications and related value-added technology and services. Summit continues to sell and support Microsoft VBA.

How are Microsoft Office standalone programs affected by the vulnerability? 
A Microsoft Office standalone program is affected with the same severity rating as the corresponding component in a Microsoft Office Suite. For example, a standalone installation of Microsoft Excel is affected with the same severity rating as an installation of Microsoft Excel that was delivered with a Microsoft Office Suite.

I am using an older release of the software discussed in this security bulletin. What should I do? 
The affected software listed in this bulletin have been tested to determine which releases are affected. Other releases are past their support life cycle. For more information about the product lifecycle, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

It should be a priority for customers who have older releases of the software to migrate to supported releases to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities. To determine the support lifecycle for your software release, see Select a Product for Lifecycle Information. For more information about service packs for these software releases, see Service Pack Lifecycle Support Policy.

Customers who require custom support for older software must contact their Microsoft account team representative, their Technical Account Manager, or the appropriate Microsoft partner representative for custom support options. Customers without an Alliance, Premier, or Authorized Contract can contact their local Microsoft sales office. For contact information, visit the Microsoft Worldwide Information website, select the country in the Contact Information list, and then click Go to see a list of telephone numbers. When you call, ask to speak with the local Premier Support sales manager. For more information, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.

The following severity ratings assume the potential maximum impact of the vulnerability. For information regarding the likelihood, within 30 days of this security bulletin's release, of the exploitability of the vulnerability in relation to its severity rating and security impact, please see the Exploitability Index in the July bulletin summary. For more information, see Microsoft Exploitability Index.

^[1]This update package applies to supported versions of the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications runtime (Vbe6.dll) and is available from the Microsoft Download Center only.

^[2]The supported versions of the VBA SDK are Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK 6.3, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK 6.4, and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications SDK 6.5.

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications handles the loading of DLL files. 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.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2012-1854.

Security Central

Manage the software and security updates you need to deploy to the servers, desktop, and mobile systems in your organization. For more information see the TechNet Update Management Center. The Microsoft TechNet Security website provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.

Security updates are available from Microsoft Update and Windows Update. Security updates are also available from the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security update."

For customers of Microsoft Office for Mac, Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac can help keep your Microsoft software up to date. For more information about using Microsoft AutoUpdate for Mac, see Check for software updates automatically.

Finally, security updates can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The Microsoft Update Catalog provides a searchable catalog of content made available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update, including security updates, drivers and service packs. By searching using the security bulletin number (such as, "MS07-036"), you can add all of the applicable updates to your basket (including different languages for an update), and download to the folder of your choosing. For more information about the Microsoft Update Catalog, see the Microsoft Update Catalog FAQ.

Detection and Deployment Guidance

Microsoft provides detection and deployment guidance for security updates. This guidance contains recommendations and information that can help IT professionals understand how to use various tools for detection and deployment of security updates. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 961747.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

The following table provides the MBSA detection summary for this security update.

Note For customers using legacy software not supported by the latest release of MBSA, Microsoft Update, and Windows Server Update Services, please visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and reference the Legacy Product Support section on how to create comprehensive security update detection with legacy tools.

Windows Server Update Services

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) enables information technology administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to computers that are running the Windows operating system. For more information about how to deploy security updates using Windows Server Update Services, see the TechNet article, Windows Server Update Services.

Systems Management Server

The following table provides the SMS detection and deployment summary for this security update.

Note Microsoft discontinued support for SMS 2.0 on April 12, 2011. For SMS 2003, Microsoft also discontinued support for the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) on April 12, 2011. Customers are encouraged to upgrade to System Center Configuration Manager. For customers remaining on SMS 2003 Service Pack 3, the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) is also an option.

For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 ITMU, see SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates. For more information about SMS scanning tools, see SMS 2003 Software Update Scanning Tools. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2003.

System Center Configuration Manager uses WSUS 3.0 for detection of updates. For more information about System Center Configuration Manager Software Update Management, visit System Center.

For more information about SMS, visit the SMS website.

For more detailed information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910723: Summary list of monthly detection and deployment guidance articles.

Note If you have used an Administrative Installation Point (AIP) for deploying Office XP or Office 2003, you may not be able to deploy the update using SMS if you have updated the AIP from the original baseline. For more information, see the Office Administrative Installation Point heading in this section.

Office Administrative Installation Point

If you installed your application from a server location, the server administrator must update the server location with the administrative update and deploy that update to your system.

• For supported versions of Microsoft Office XP, see Creating an Administrative Installation Point. For more information on how to change the source for a client system from an updated administrative installation point to an Office XP original baseline source, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922665.
  
  Note If you plan to manage software updates centrally from an updated administrative image, you can find more information in the article Updating Office XP Clients from a Patched Administrative Image.
• For supported versions of Microsoft Office 2003, see Creating an Administrative Installation Point. For more information on how to change the source for a client computer from an updated administrative installation point to an Office 2003 original baseline source or Service Pack 3 (SP3), see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 902349.
  
  Note If you plan to manage software updates centrally from an updated administrative image, you can find more information in the article, Distributing Office 2003 Product Updates.
• For creating a network installation point for supported versions of Microsoft Office, see Create a network installation point for Microsoft Office.
  
  Note If you plan to manage security updates centrally, use Windows Server Update Services. For more information about how to deploy security updates for Microsoft Office, visit the Windows Server Update Services website.

Update Compatibility Evaluator and Application Compatibility Toolkit

Updates often write to the same files and registry settings required for your applications to run. This can trigger incompatibilities and increase the time it takes to deploy security updates. You can streamline testing and validating Windows updates against installed applications with the Update Compatibility Evaluator components included with Application Compatibility Toolkit.

The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Windows Vista, a Windows Update, a Microsoft Security Update, or a new version of Windows Internet Explorer in your environment.

Affected Software

For information about the specific security update for your affected software, click the appropriate link: