• Article

Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-060 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) ActiveX Controls for Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (973965)

Published: October 13, 2009 | Updated: February 17, 2010

Version: 1.5

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities in ActiveX Controls for Microsoft Office that were compiled with a vulnerable version of Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL). The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user loaded a specially crafted component or control. 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 Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Outlook 2002, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Visio 2002 Viewer, Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Viewer, and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007. For more information on the software affected by this update, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by correcting the manner in which ATL handles the instantiation of objects from data streams, providing updated versions of the affected components and controls built using corrected ATL headers. 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 immediately.

Known Issues. Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973965 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

Office Suite and Other Software Component Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Bulletins Replaced by this Update
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3 Microsoft Outlook 2002 Service Pack 3 (KB973702) Remote Code Execution Critical MS08-015
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Service Pack 3 (KB973705) Remote Code Execution Critical MS08-015
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 and 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 2 Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 (KB972363) Remote Code Execution Critical None
Other Office Software
Microsoft Visio 2002 Viewer* Not applicable Remote Code Execution Critical None
Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Viewer* Not applicable Remote Code Execution Critical None
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 (KB973709) Not applicable Remote Code Execution Critical None

*Microsoft recommends that users of Microsoft Visio Viewer 2002 and Microsoft Visio Viewer 2003 upgrade to Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2.

Why was this bulletin revised on February 9, 2010?
Microsoft revised this bulletin to announce a detection logic change to fix the issue where the July 8, 2008 update for Outlook 2003 (KB953432) was incorrectly being offered in addition to the update package for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Service Pack 3 (KB973705). This is a deployment change only that does not affect the files contained in the initial update. Customers who have successfully updated their systems do not need to reinstall this update.

Why was this bulletin revised on January 12, 2010?
Microsoft revised this bulletin to announce a detection logic change to fix the issue where the June 9, 2009 update for Outlook 2007 (KB969907) was incorrectly being offered in addition to the update package for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 (KB972363). Update KB972363 replaces update KB969907. This is a deployment change only that does not affect the files contained in the initial update. Customers who have successfully updated their systems do not need to reinstall this update.

Does this update contain any non-security related changes to functionality?
Yes, the update package for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 (KB972363) includes the changes to Outlook 2007 described in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 969907.

Why are KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 not listed in this security bulletin?
The update associated with Microsoft Knowledge Base articles 974554, 974556, and 974234 is not a security update and does not correct any security-related issues. However, the update resolves a problem that can cause programs that use Outlook View Control with Forms 2.0, such as Microsoft Office Outlook with Business Contact Manager, to stop functioning as expected after applying the MS09-060 security update. Microsoft encourages customers who use Outlook View Control with Forms 2.0 to apply the update available from KB974554, KB974556, or KB974234, depending on your version of Microsoft Office, after installing the MS09-060 security update. Customers who do not use Outlook View Control with Forms 2.0 will not require the KB974554, KB974556, or KB974234 update.

Why are KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 labeled as Security Updates, when they contain no security-related fixes?
The KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 update resolves a known issue with the Outlook security update for MS09-060. Even though the KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 update does not correct any security-related issues, KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 are listed as Security Updates on Microsoft Update, Windows Update, Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server, and by Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), due to patching requirements on certain platforms for updates resolving any post-installation issues with Outlook security updates that are necessary to make sure that the Outlook security updates work correctly. You do not have to install the known issue update if you do not install the Outlook security update. However, we recommend that customers install the MS09-060 security update if they plan to deploy Outlook in the future.

I do not have Microsoft Outlook installed. Why am I being offered the known issue update for KB974554, KB974556, or KB974234?
The known issue update for KB974554, KB974556, and KB974234 is being offered to most users of Microsoft Office, including users who do not have Outlook installed, because the MS09-060 security update affects a component that is used by most Microsoft Office products. It is not technically possible to reliably detect which of these users are using the Outlook View Control, so the known issue update for Outlook View Control is offered to all Microsoft Office users. Each user should determine whether the update is relevant to their environment based on their use of the Outlook View Control and Forms 2.0.

Where can I get the Outlook View Control with Forms 2.0 known issue update for KB974554, KB974556, or KB974234?
The update for the Outlook View Control with Forms 2.0 installation issue is available from the following locations:

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973965 also contains links to these Microsoft Knowledge Base articles.

If I have installed the MS09-034 update, do I still need to install this update?
Yes. This security bulletin update addresses vulnerabilities in Office components. By installing this update, users ensure that all known issues caused by vulnerable ATL headers and libraries are corrected for core Office components.

Where are the updates for Visio Viewer 2002 and Visio Viewer 2003? Microsoft recommends that all users of Microsoft Visio Viewer 2002 and Microsoft Visio Viewer 2003 upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Visio Viewer 2007 to address this vulnerability. Users who are unable to upgrade should apply the update from MS09-034. The MS09-034 Internet Explorer update mitigates the attack vector for affected Visio Viewer platforms. A kill bit for these controls will be included in a future cumulative security update of ActiveX Kill Bits.

How does this bulletin relate to the vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882)? This bulletin addresses vulnerabilities in the public version of the Active Template Library (ATL). Vulnerabilities in the private version of ATL are described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882).

Is this security update related to MS09-034?
Yes. Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-034, "Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer," includes a mitigation that helps prevent components and controls built using the vulnerable ATL from being exploited in Internet Explorer, as well as addressing multiple unrelated vulnerabilities. The new defense in depth protections offered in MS09-034 include updates to Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8, that monitor and help prevent the successful exploitation of all known public and private ATL vulnerabilities, including the vulnerabilities that could lead to bypassing ActiveX's kill bit security feature. These protections are designed to help protect customers from Web-based attacks.

If I have installed the MS09-034 update, do I still need to install this update?
Yes. This security bulletin update addresses vulnerabilities in Office components. By installing this update, users ensure that all known issues caused by vulnerable ATL headers and libraries are corrected for core Office components.

If I have installed the MS09-034 update, do I still need to install additional components and controlsissued by Microsoft or third parties that address the vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Advisory 973882 and Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-035?
Yes, you need to install updated controls from third parties when released. The MS09-034 Internet Explorer mitigation does not address the underlying vulnerabilities within certain components and controls developed with the Active Template Library.

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.

What is ATL? The Active Template Library (ATL) is a set of template-based C++ classes that let you create small, fast Component Object Model (COM) objects. It has special support for key COM features, including stock implementations, dual interfaces, standard COM enumerator interfaces, connection points, tear-off interfaces, and ActiveX controls. For more information, see the following MSDN article.

Why does this update address several reported security vulnerabilities?
This update contains support for several vulnerabilities because the modifications that are required to address these issues are located in related files. Instead of having to install several updates that are almost the same, customers need to install this update only.

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. To determine the support life cycle for your software release, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

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. For more information about the Windows Product Lifecycle, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle. For more information about the extended security update support period for these software versions or editions, visit Microsoft Product Support Services.

Customers who require custom support for older releases 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 Microsoft Worldwide Information, select the country, 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 Windows Operating System Product Support Lifecycle FAQ.

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

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 October bulletin summary. For more information, see Microsoft Exploitability Index.

Affected Software ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability - CVE-2009-0901 ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2493 ATL Null String Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2495 Aggregate Severity Rating
Microsoft Outlook 2002 Service Pack 3 Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical
Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Service Pack 3 Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical
Other Office Software
Microsoft Visio 2002 Viewer Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical
Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Viewer Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 Critical  Remote Code Execution Critical  Remote Code Execution Moderate  Information Disclosure Critical

ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability - CVE-2009-0901

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) due to an issue in the ATL headers that could allow an attacker to force VariantClear to be called on a VARIANT that has not been correctly initialized. Because of this, the attacker can control what happens when VariantClear is called during handling of an error by supplying a corrupt stream. This vulnerability only directly affects systems with components and controls installed that were built using Visual Studio ATL. This issue could allow a remote, unauthenticated user to perform remote code execution on an affected system. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2009-0901.

Mitigating Factors for ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability - CVE-2009-0901

Mitigation refers to a setting, common configuration, or general best-practice, existing in a default state, that could reduce the severity of exploitation of a vulnerability. The following mitigating factors may be helpful in your situation:

  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local 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.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s Web site.

Workarounds for ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability - CVE-2009-0901

Workaround refers to a setting or configuration change that does not correct the underlying vulnerability but would help block known attack vectors before you apply the update. Microsoft has tested the following workarounds and states in the discussion whether a workaround reduces functionality:

  • Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted file.

FAQ for ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability - CVE-2009-0901

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This vulnerability only directly affects systems with vulnerable components and controls installed that were built using affected versions of Microsoft's ATL.

This is a remote code execution vulnerability. For example, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution if the user visits a specially crafted Web page with Internet Explorer that instantiates a vulnerable component or control. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user.

If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, 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.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is due to an issue in the ATL headers that could allow an attacker to call VariantClear() on a variant that has not been correctly initialized. For developers who created a component or control using ATL in this manner, the resulting component or control could allow remote code execution in the context of the logged on user.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
If a user has a vulnerable control on their system and an attacker bypasses the mitigations described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882), then an attacker could take complete control of the 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.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
An attacker could host a specially crafted Web site that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer by attempting to exploit a vulnerable control, and then convince a user to view the Web site. This can also include compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These Web sites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have to discover a vulnerable control, and force users to visit these Web sites. To do this, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or in an Instant Messenger request that takes users to the attacker's Web site. It could also be possible to display specially crafted Web content by using banner advertisements or by using other methods to deliver Web content to affected systems.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who should not have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update addresses the issue by ensuring VariantClear() can only be called on initialized variants, and provides updated versions of ATL that allow developers to address this issue in potentially vulnerable controls.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2493

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) due to issues in the ATL headers that handle instantiation of an object from data streams. This vulnerability only directly affects systems with components and controls installed that were built using Visual Studio ATL. For components and controls built using ATL, unsafe usage of OleLoadFromStream could allow the instantiation of arbitrary objects which can bypass related security policy, such as kill bits within Internet Explorer. This issue could allow a remote, unauthenticated user to perform remote code execution on an affected system. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2009-2493.

Mitigating Factors for ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2493

Mitigation refers to a setting, common configuration, or general best-practice, existing in a default state, that could reduce the severity of exploitation of a vulnerability. The following mitigating factors may be helpful in your situation:

  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local 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.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s Web site.

Workarounds for ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2493

Workaround refers to a setting or configuration change that does not correct the underlying vulnerability but would help block known attack vectors before you apply the update. Microsoft has tested the following workarounds and states in the discussion whether a workaround reduces functionality:

  • Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted file.

FAQ for ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2493

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This vulnerability only directly affects systems with components and controls installed that were built using Visual Studio ATL.

This is a remote code execution vulnerability. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if the user visits a specially crafted Web page with Internet Explorer, instantiating a vulnerable component or control. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user.

If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, 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.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is due to issues in the ATL headers that handle instantiation of an object from data streams. For components and controls built using ATL, unsafe usage of OleLoadFromStream could allow the instantiation of arbitrary objects which can bypass certain related security policies.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
If a user has a vulnerable control on their system, and an attacker bypasses the mitigations described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882), then if the user is logged on with administrative user rights an attacker could take complete control of the 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.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
An attacker could host a specially crafted Web site that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer by attempting to exploit a vulnerable control, and then convince a user to view the Web site. This can also include compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These Web sites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have to discover a vulnerable control, and force users to visit these Web sites. To do this, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or in an Instant Messenger request that takes users to the attacker's Web site. It could also be possible to display specially crafted Web content by using banner advertisements or by using other methods to deliver Web content to affected systems.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who should not have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the manner in which ATL handles the instantiation of objects from data streams and providing updated versions of ATL that allow developers to address this issue in potentially vulnerable controls.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

ATL Null String Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2495

An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) that could allow a string to be read without a terminating NULL character. An attacker could manipulate this string to read extra data beyond the end of the string and thus disclose information in memory. This vulnerability only directly affects systems with components and controls installed that were built using Visual Studio ATL. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run a malicious component or control that could disclose information, forward user data to a third party, or access any data on the affected systems that was accessible to the logged-on user. Note that this vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights directly, but it could be used to produce information that could be used to try to further compromise the affected system.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2009-2495.

Mitigating Factors for ATL Null String Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2495

Mitigation refers to a setting, common configuration, or general best-practice, existing in a default state, that could reduce the severity of exploitation of a vulnerability. The following mitigating factors may be helpful in your situation:

  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local 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.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s Web site.

Workarounds for ATL Null String Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2495

Workaround refers to a setting or configuration change that does not correct the underlying vulnerability but would help block known attack vectors before you apply the update. Microsoft has tested the following workarounds and states in the discussion whether a workaround reduces functionality:

  • Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted file.

FAQ for ATL Null String Vulnerability - CVE-2009-2495

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This vulnerability only directly affects systems with components and controls installed that were built using Visual Studio ATL.

This is an information disclosure vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run a malicious component or control that could disclose information, forward user data to a third party, or access any data on the affected systems that was accessible to the logged-on user. Note that this vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights directly, but it could be used to produce useful information that could be used to try to further compromise the affected system.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability results from an issue in the ATL headers that could allow a string to be read with no ending NULL bytes. An attacker could manipulate this string to read extra data beyond the end of the string and thus disclose information in memory.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could access any data available to the logged on user.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
If a user has a vulnerable control on their system, and an attacker bypasses the mitigations described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882), an attacker could read information in memory on the affected system

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who should not have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update addresses the vulnerability by enforcing proper buffer allocation when reading a stream and providing updated versions of ATL that allow developers to address this issue in potentially vulnerable controls.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

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 Web site 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."

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.

Note Microsoft discontinued support for Office Update and the Office Update Inventory Tool as of August 1, 2009. To continue getting the latest updates for Microsoft Office products, use Microsoft Update. For more information, see About Microsoft Office Update: Frequently Asked Questions.

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.

Software MBSA 2.1
Microsoft Outlook 2002 Service Pack 3 Yes
Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Service Pack 3 Yes
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 Yes
Microsoft Visio 2002 Viewer No
Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Viewer No
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 Yes

For more information about MBSA 2.1, see MBSA 2.1 Frequently Asked Questions.

Note For customers using legacy software not supported by MBSA 2.1, 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

By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can 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. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server

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

Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003 with SUIT SMS 2003 with ITMU Configuration Manager 2007
Microsoft Outlook 2002 Service Pack 3 No No Yes Yes
Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Service Pack 3 No No Yes Yes
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Service Pack 2 No No Yes Yes
Microsoft Visio 2002 Viewer No No No No
Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Viewer No No No No
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Service Pack 2 No No Yes Yes

For SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003, the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) can be used by SMS to detect security updates. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2.0.

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 2007 uses WSUS 3.0 for detection of updates. For more information about Configuration Manager 2007 Software Update Management, visit System Center Configuration Manager 2007.

For more information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.

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 2000, 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.

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 Microsoft Windows Vista, a Windows Update, a Microsoft Security Update, or a new version of Windows Internet Explorer in your environment.

Security Update Deployment

Affected Software

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

Outlook 2002 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs There are no more service packs planned for this software. The update for this issue may be included in a future update rollup.
Deployment
Installing without user intervention officeXP-kb973702-fullfile-enu /q:a
Installing without restarting officeXP-kb973702-fullfile-enu /r:n
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the earlier section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance. \ \ For features you can selectively install, see the Office Features for Administrative Installations subsection in this section.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? In some cases, this update does not require a restart. If the required files are being used, this update will require a restart. If this behavior occurs, a message appears that advises you to restart.\ \ To help reduce the chance that a restart will be required, stop all affected services and close all applications that may use the affected files prior to installing the security update. For more information about the reasons why you may be prompted to restart, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 887012.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office XP CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.
File Information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973702
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

Office Features

The following table contains the list of feature names (case sensitive) that must be reinstalled for the update. To install all features, you can use REINSTALL=ALL or you can install the following features:

Product Feature
OUTLOOK, PIPC1, PROPLUS, PRO, SBE, STD, STDEDU OUTLOOKNonBootFiles, OUTLOOKFiles, OutlookMAPIEMS2, OutlookDVExtensionsFiles, OutlookVBScript

Note Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization at the Office Admin Update Center. At that site, scroll down and look under the Update Resources section for the software version you are updating. The Windows Installer Documentation also provides more information about the parameters supported by Windows Installer.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

You can install the update from the appropriate download link in the Affected and Non-Affected Software section. If you installed your application from a server location, the server administrator must instead update the server location with the administrative update and deploy that update to your system. For more information about Administrative Installation Points, refer to the Office Administrative Installation Point information in the Detection and deployment Tools and Guidance subsection.

This security update requires that Windows Installer 2.0 or later be installed on the system. All supported versions of Windows include Windows Installer 2.0 or a later version.

To install the 2.0 or later version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Supported Security Update Installation Switches

Switch Description
/q Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/q:u Specifies user-quiet mode, which presents some dialog boxes to the user.
/q:a Specifies administrator-quiet mode, which does not present any dialog boxes to the user.
/t:path Specifies the target folder for extracting files.
/c Extracts the files without installing them. If /t:path is not specified, you are prompted for a target folder.
/c:path Overrides the install command that is defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/r:n Never restarts the system after installation.
/r:I Prompts the user to restart the system if a restart is required, except when used with /q:a.
/r:a Always restarts the system after installation.
/r:s Restarts the system after installation without prompting the user.
/n:v No version checking - Install the program over any earlier version.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841.

Removing the Update

To remove this security update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office XP CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.

Verifying That the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

  • File Version Verification

    Because there are several versions and editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

    1. Click Start, and then click Search.
    2. In the Search Results pane, click All files and folders under Search Companion.
    3. In the All or part of the file name box, type a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Search.
    4. In the list of files, right-click a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Properties.
      Note Depending on the version of the operating system or programs installed, some of the files that are listed in the file information table may not be installed.
    5. On the Version tab, determine the version of the file that is installed on your system by comparing it to the version that is documented in the appropriate file information table.
      Note Attributes other than the file version may change during installation. Comparing other file attributes to the information in the file information table is not a supported method of verifying that the update has been applied. Also, in certain cases, files may be renamed during installation. If the file or version information is not present, use one of the other available methods to verify update installation.

Outlook 2003 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs There are no more service packs planned for this software. The update for this issue may be included in a future update rollup.
Deployment
Installing without user intervention office2003-kb973705-fullfile-enu /q:a
Installing without restarting office2003-kb973705-fullfile-enu /r:n
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the earlier section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance. \ \ For features you can selectively install, see the Office Features for Administrative Installations subsection in this section.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? In some cases, this update does not require a restart. If the required files are being used, this update will require a restart. If this behavior occurs, a message appears that advises you to restart.\ \ To help reduce the chance that a restart will be required, stop all affected services and close all applications that may use the affected files prior to installing the security update. For more information about the reasons why you may be prompted to restart, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 887012.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office 2003 CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.
File Information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973705
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

Office Features

The following table contains the list of feature names (case sensitive) that must be reinstalled for the update. To install all features, you can use REINSTALL=ALL or you can install the following features:

Product Feature
BASIC11, OUTLS11, OUTL11, PERS11, PRO11SB, PROI11, PRO11, STDP11, STD11 OUTLOOKFiles, OUTLOOKNonBootFiles, OutlookDVExtensionsFiles, OutlookImportExportFiles
OUTLSM11 OUTLOOKFiles, OUTLOOKNonBootFiles

Note Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization at the Office Admin Update Center. At that site, scroll down and look under the Update Resources section for the software version you are updating. The Windows Installer Documentation also provides more information about the parameters supported by Windows Installer.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

You can install the update from the appropriate download link in the Affected and Non-Affected Software section. If you installed your application from a server location, the server administrator must instead update the server location with the administrative update and deploy that update to your system. For more information about Administrative Installation Points, refer to the Office Administrative Installation Point information in the Detection and deployment Tools and Guidance subsection.

This security update requires that Windows Installer 2.0 or later be installed on the system. All supported versions of Windows include Windows Installer 2.0 or a later version.

To install the 2.0 or later version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Supported Security Update Installation Switches

Switch Description
/q Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/q:u Specifies user-quiet mode, which presents some dialog boxes to the user.
/q:a Specifies administrator-quiet mode, which does not present any dialog boxes to the user.
/t:path Specifies the target folder for extracting files.
/c Extracts the files without installing them. If /t:path is not specified, you are prompted for a target folder.
/c:path Overrides the install command that is defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/r:n Never restarts the system after installation.
/r:I Prompts the user to restart the system if a restart is required, except when used with /q:a.
/r:a Always restarts the system after installation.
/r:s Restarts the system after installation without prompting the user.
/n:v No version checking - Install the program over any earlier version.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports many of the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841.

Removing the Update

To remove this security update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office 2003 CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

  • File Version Verification

    Because there are several editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

    1. Click Start and then enter an update file name in Start Search.
    2. When the file appears under Programs, right-click on the file name and click Properties.
    3. Under the General tab, compare the file size with the file information tables provided in the bulletin KB article.
    4. You may also click on the Details tab and compare information, such as file version and date modified, with the file information tables provided in the bulletin KB article.
    5. Finally, you may also click on the Previous Versions tab and compare file information for the previous version of the file with the file information for the new, or updated, version of the file.

Outlook 2007 and Visio Viewer 2007 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs The update for this issue will be included in a future service pack or update rollup
Deployment
Installing without user intervention For all supported editions of Outlook 2007:\ office2007-kb972363-fullfile-x86-glb /passive\ \ For all supported editions of Visio Viewer 2007:\ office2007-kb973709-fullfile-x86-glb /passive
Installing without restarting For all supported editions of Outlook 2007:\ office2007-kb972363-fullfile-x86-glb /norestart\ \ For all supported editions of Visio Viewer 2007:\ office2007-kb973709-fullfile-x86-glb /norestart
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the earlier section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? In some cases, this update does not require a restart. If the required files are being used, this update will require a restart. If this behavior occurs, a message appears that advises you to restart.\ \ To help reduce the chance that a restart will be required, stop all affected services and close all applications that may use the affected files prior to installing the security update. For more information about the reasons why you may be prompted to restart, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 887012.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.
File Information For all supported editions of Outlook 2007:\ See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 972363\ \ For all supported editions of Visio Viewer 2007:\ See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973709
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

You can install the update from the appropriate download link in the Affected and Non-Affected Software section. If you installed your application from a server location, the server administrator must instead update the server location with the administrative update and deploy that update to your system. For more information about Administrative Installation Points, refer to the Office Administrative Installation Point information in the Detection and deployment Tools and Guidance subsection.

This security update requires that Windows Installer 3.1 or later be installed on the system.

To install the 3.1 or later version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Supported Security Update Installation Switches

Switch Description
/? or /help Displays usage dialog.
/passive Specifies passive mode. Requires no user interaction; users see basic progress dialogs but cannot cancel.
/quiet Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/norestart Suppresses restarting the system if the update requires a restart.
/forcerestart Automatically restarts the system after applying the update, regardless of whether the update requires the restart.
/extract Extracts the files without installing them. You are prompted for a target folder.
/extract:<path> Overrides the install command that is defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/lang:<LCID> Forces the use of a specific language, when the update package supports that language.
/log:<log file> Enables logging, by both Vnox and Installer, during the update installation.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports many of the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841.

Removing the Update

To remove this security update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the 2007 Microsoft Office CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

  • File Version Verification

    Because there are several editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

    1. Click Start and then enter an update file name in Start Search.
    2. When the file appears under Programs, right-click on the file name and click Properties.
    3. Under the General tab, compare the file size with the file information tables provided in the bulletin KB article.
    4. You may also click on the Details tab and compare information, such as file version and date modified, with the file information tables provided in the bulletin KB article.
    5. Finally, you may also click on the Previous Versions tab and compare file information for the previous version of the file with the file information for the new, or updated, version of the file.

Other Information

Acknowledgments

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

  • David Dewey of IBM ISS X-Force for reporting the ATL Uninitialized Object Vulnerability (CVE-2009-0901)
  • Ryan Smith of VeriSign iDefense Labs for reporting the ATL COM Initialization Vulnerability (CVE-2009-2493)
  • Ryan Smith of VeriSign iDefense Labs for reporting the ATL Null String Vulnerability (CVE-2009-2495)

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 (October 13, 2009): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (October 21, 2009): Added entries to the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update, to describe the known issue update available from KB974554, KB974556, or KB974234.
  • V1.2 (November 4, 2009): Removed erroneous references to the original release version of Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 as affected software.
  • V1.3 (January 12, 2010): Revised this bulletin to announce a detection logic change to fix the issue where the June 9, 2009 update for Outlook 2007 (KB969907) was incorrectly being offered in addition to the update package for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 (KB972363). This is a deployment change only that does not affect the files contained in the initial update. Customers who have successfully updated their systems do not need to reinstall this update.
  • V1.4 (February 9, 2010): Revised this bulletin to announce a detection logic change to fix the issue where the July 8, 2008 update for Outlook 2003 (KB953432) was incorrectly being offered in addition to the update package for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 (KB973705). This is a deployment change only that does not affect the files contained in the initial update. Customers who have successfully updated their systems do not need to reinstall this update.
  • V1.5 (February 17, 2010): Corrected the MBSA detection entries for Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007. This is an information change only. There were no changes to the security update files or detection logic.

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