Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-037 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (917285)

Published: July 11, 2006 | Updated: July 12, 2006

Version: 1.1

Summary

Who Should Read this Document: Customers who use Microsoft Excel

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately

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

Caveats: None

Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:

Affected Software:

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

This update resolves several newly discovered, privately reported and public vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is documented in this bulletin in its own "Vulnerability Details" section.

When using vulnerable versions of Office, if a user were logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the client workstation. 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.

We recommend that customers apply the update immediately

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers:

Vulnerability Identifiers Impact of Vulnerability Microsoft Excel 2003 and Excel Viewer 2003 Microsoft Excel 2002 Microsoft Excel 2000 Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac and Microsoft Excel v. X for Mac
Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1301 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1302 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed COLINFO record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1304 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed OBJECT record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1306 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed FNGROUPCOUNT value Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1308 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed LABEL record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1309 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed File Vulnerability -CVE-2006-2388 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Microsoft Excel Malformed File Vulnerability -CVE-2006-3059 Remote Code Execution Important Important Critical Important
Aggregate Severity of All Vulnerabilities Important Important Critical Important

This assessment is based on the types of systems that are affected by the vulnerability, their typical deployment patterns, and the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on them.

Why does this update address several reported security vulnerabilities?
This update addresses 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 can install only this update.
What updates does this release replace?
This security update replaces a prior security update. The security bulletin ID and affected applications are listed in the following table.

Bulletin ID Excel 2000 Microsoft Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel Viewer 2003 Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac and Microsoft Excel v. X for Mac
MS06-012 Replaced Replaced Replaced

Can I use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to determine whether this update is required?

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

Software MBSA 1.2.1 MBSA 2.0
Microsoft Excel 2000 Yes No
Microsoft Excel 2002 Yes Yes
Microsoft Excel 2003 Yes Yes
Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac No No
Microsoft Excel v. X for Mac No No

Note MBSA 1.2.1 uses an integrated version of the Office Detection Tool (ODT) which does not support remote scans of this security update. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site.

For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. For more information about MBSA support, visit the following Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.2 Q&A; Web site.

For more information about the programs that Microsoft Update and MBSA 2.0 currently do not detect, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 895660.

Can I use Systems Management Server (SMS) to determine whether this update is required?

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

Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003
Microsoft Excel 2000 Yes No
Microsoft Excel 2002 Yes Yes
Microsoft Excel 2003 Yes Yes
Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac No No
Microsoft Excel v. X for Mac No No

SMS uses MBSA for detection. Therefore, SMS has the same limitation that is listed earlier in this bulletin related to programs that MBSA does not detect.

For SMS 2.0, the SMS SUS Feature Pack, which includes the Security Update Inventory Tool, can be used by SMS to detect security updates. SMS SUIT uses the MBSA 1.2.1 engine for detection. For more information about the Security Update Inventory Tool, visit the following Microsoft Web site. For more information about the limitations of the Security Update Inventory Tool, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 306460. The SMS SUS Feature Pack also includes the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.

For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates 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 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site. SMS 2003 can also use the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.

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

Vulnerability Details

Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1301

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from the processing of a malformed SELECTION record. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1301:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1301:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1301:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of a malformed SELECTION record, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take any action on the system that the user who opened the file could take.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
Yes. While the initial report was provided through responsible disclosure, the vulnerability was later disclosed publicly. This security bulletin addresses the publicly disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
Yes. When the security bulletin was released, Microsoft had received information that this vulnerability was being exploited.

Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1302

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from processing of a malformed SELECTION record. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1302:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1302:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed SELECTION record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1302:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of a SELECTION record, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take any action on the system that the user who opened the file could take.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Malformed COLINFO record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1304

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from processing of a malformed COLINFO record. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Malformed COLINFO record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1304

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed COLINFO record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1304:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed COLINFO record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1304:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of a malformed COLINFO record, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take any action on the system that the user who opened the file could take.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a message before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Malformed OBJECT Record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1306

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from processing of a malformed OBJECT record. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Remote Code Execution Using a Malformed OBJECT Record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1306:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed OBJECT Record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1306:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Malformed OBJECT Record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1306:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel that results from the processing of a malformed object record, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take any action on the system that the user who opened the file could take

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Malformed FNGROUPCOUNT Value Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1308

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from the processing of a malformed FNGROUPCOUNT value file. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Malformed FNGROUPCOUNT Value Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1308:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed FNGROUPCOUNT Value Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1308:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed FNGROUPCOUNT Value Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1308:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of malformed FNGROUPCOUNT value file, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Malformed LABEL record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1309

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from the processing of a malformed LABEL record file. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Malformed LABEL record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1309:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Malformed LABEL record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1309:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed LABEL record Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1309:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of a malformed LABEL record file, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Rebuilding Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2388

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from the processing of a malformed file. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Rebuilding Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2388:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Excel Rebuilding Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2388:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Rebuilding Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2388:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted Excel file that results from the processing of a malformed file, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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.
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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.

Microsoft Excel Malformed file Vulnerability - CVE-2006-3059

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Excel that results from the processing of a malformed file. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Excel file that could allow remote code execution.

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Excel Using a Malformed file Vulnerability - CVE-2006-3059:

  • 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.
  • On Outlook 2002 and Outlook 2003, the vulnerability could not be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must accept a prompt confirming that they Open, Save or Cancel the attachment that is sent in an e-mail message before the exploit could occur.
  • 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 persuade 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.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.

Workarounds for Microsoft Malformed file Vulnerability - CVE-2006-3059:

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

Do not open or save Microsoft Excel files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources.
This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.

FAQ for Microsoft Excel Malformed file Vulnerability - CVE-2006-3059:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could remotely take complete control of an affected system.

If a user were 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 affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
When Excel opens a specially crafted malformed Excel file, it may corrupt system memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 persuade 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
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially-crafted file to the user and by persuading the user to open the file.

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 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 removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Excel validates the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
Yes. While the initial report was provided through responsible disclosure, the vulnerability was later disclosed publicly. This security bulletin addresses the publicly disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
Yes. When the security bulletin was released, Microsoft had received information that this vulnerability was being exploited.

Security Update Information

Excel 2003

Prerequisites and Additional Update Details

Important: Before you install this update, make sure that the following requirements have been met:

  • To update Office 2003, Office 2003 Service Pack 1 or Word 2003 Service Pack 2 must be installed. Before you install this update, install Office 2003 SP1 or Office 2003 SP2.

For more information about how to determine the version of Office 2003 that is installed on your computer, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 821549. For more information about the version information displayed in the About dialog box, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 328294.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs:

The fix for this issue will be included in a future service pack.

Restart Requirement

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.

Removal Information

To remove this security update, use Add or Remove Programs 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 Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.

Automated Client Installation Information

Microsoft Update Web Site

This update will be available through the Microsoft Update Web site. Microsoft Update consolidates updates that are provided by Windows Update and Office Update into one location and lets you choose automatic delivery and installation of high-priority and security updates. We recommend that you install this update by using the Microsoft Update Web site. The Microsoft Update Web site detects your particular installation and prompts you to install exactly what you must have to make sure that your installation is completely up to date.

To have the Microsoft Update Web site detect the required updates that you must install on your computer, visit the Microsoft Update Web site. You will be given the choice of Express (Recommended) or Custom. After detection is complete, you will receive a list of recommended updates for your approval. Click Install Updates or Review and Install Updates to complete the process.

Manual Client Installation Information

For detailed information about how to manually install this update, review the following section.

Installation Information

The security update supports the following setup 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 Override install command defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/r:n Never restarts the computer after installation.
/r:I Prompts the user to restart the computer if a restart is required, except when used with /q:a.
/r:a Always restarts the computer after installation.
/r:s Restarts the computer after installation without prompting the user.
/n:v No version checking - Install the program over any earlier version.

Note These switches do not necessarily work with all updates. If a switch is not available, that functionality is required for the correct installation of the update. Also, using the /n:v switch is unsupported and may result in an unbootable system. If the installation is unsuccessful, you should contact your support professional to understand why it could not install.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Note The full file office update is intended for both client and administrative deployment scenarios.

Client Deployment Information

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2003 and or the security update for Excel 2003 Viewer
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, find the folder that contains the saved file, and then double-click the saved file.
  5. If you are prompted to install the update, click Yes.
  6. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  7. Insert your original source CD-ROM when you are prompted to do so, and then click OK.
  8. When you receive a message that states the installation was successful, click OK.

Note If the security update is already installed on your computer, you receive the following error message: This update has already been applied or is included in an update that has already been applied.

Client Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 11.0.8033.0 23-Jun-2006 19:38 10,196,752

Excel Viewer 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Xlview.exe 11.0.8033.0 23-Jun-2006 19:27 5,237,520

Administrative Installation Information

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 computer.

Installation Information

The following setup switches are relevant to administrative installations as they allow an administrator to customize how the files are extracted from within the security update.

Switch Description
/? Displays the command-line options.
/q Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/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 Override install command defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Administrative Deployment Information

To update your administrative installation, follow these steps:

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2003 and or the security update for Excel 2003 Viewer
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, locate the folder that contains the saved file. Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK to extract the .msp file:
    [path\name of EXE file] /c /t:C:\AdminUpdate
    Note Double-clicking the .exe file does not extract the .msp file; it applies the update to the local computer. In order to update an administrative image, you must first extract the .msp file.
  5. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  6. Click Yes if you are prompted to create the folder.
  7. If you are familiar with the procedure for updating your administrative installation**,** click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
    msiexec /a Admin Path**\**MSI File **/p C:\adminUpdate\**MSP File SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE
    Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\Office2003), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and MSP File is the name of the administrative update (for example, SHAREDff.msp).
    Note You can append /qb+ to the command line so that the Administrative Installation dialog box and the End User License Agreement dialog box do not appear.
  8. Click Next in the provided dialog box. Do not change your CD key, installation location, or company name in the provided dialog box.
  9. Click I accept the terms in the License Agreement, and then click Install.

At this point, your administrative installation point is updated. Next, you must update the workstations configurations that were originally installed from this administrative installation. To do this, please review the “Workstation Deployment Information” section. Any new installations that you run from this administrative installation point will include the update.

Warning Any workstation configuration that was originally installed from this administrative installation before you installed the update cannot use this administrative installation for actions such as repairing Office or adding new features until you complete the steps in the “Workstation Deployment Information” section.

Workstation Deployment Information

To deploy the update to the client workstations, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:

Msiexec /I Admin Path**\**MSI File **/qb REINSTALL=**Feature List REINSTALLMODE=vomu

Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\Office2003), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and Feature List is 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
Excel 2003 ALL

Note Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization on the Office Admin Update Center. On the home page of that site, look under the Update Strategies section for the software version you are updating. The Windows Installer Documentation also provides more information about the parameters supported by the Windows Installer.

Administrative Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 11.0.8033.0 23-Jun-2006 19:38 10,196,752

Excel Viewer 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Xlview.exe 11.0.8033.0 23-Jun-2006 19:27 5,237,520

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
    Note MBSA 1.2.1 uses an integrated version of the Office Detection Tool (ODT) which does not support remote scans of this issue. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. For more information about MBSA support, visit the following Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.2 Q&A; Web site.

  • File Version Verification
    Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. 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 computer 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.

Excel 2002

Prerequisites and Additional Update Details

Important: Before you install this update, make sure that the following requirements have been met:

  • Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0 must be installed. Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) include Windows Installer 2.0 or a later version. To install the latest version of the Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

Windows Installer 2.0 for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Millennium Edition

Windows Installer 2.0 for Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0

For more information about how to determine the version of Office XP that is installed on your computer, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 291331. For more information about the version information displayed in the About dialog box, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 328294.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs

None. Service Pack 3 is the last service pack for Office XP.

Restart Requirement

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.

Removal Information

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.

For Project 2002 Service Pack 1 and Visio Service Pack 2:After you install the update, you cannot remove it. To revert to an installation before the update was installed; you must remove the application, and then install it again from the original CD-ROM.

Automated Client Installation Information

Microsoft Update Web Site

This update will be available through the Microsoft Update Web site. Microsoft Update consolidates updates that are provided by Windows Update and Office Update into one location and lets you choose automatic delivery and installation of high-priority and security updates. We recommend that you install this update by using the Microsoft Update Web site. The Microsoft Update Web site detects your particular installation and prompts you to install exactly what you must have to make sure that your installation is completely up to date.

To have the Microsoft Update Web site detect the required updates that you must install on your computer, visit the Microsoft Update Web site. You will be given the choice of Express (Recommended) or Custom. After detection is complete, you will receive a list of recommended updates for your approval. Click Install Updates or Review and Install Updates to complete the process.

Manual Client Installation Information

For detailed information about how to manually install this update, review the following section.

Installation Information

The security update supports the following setup 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 Override install command defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/r:n Never restarts the computer after installation.
/r:I Prompts the user to restart the computer if a restart is required, except when used with /q:a.
/r:a Always restarts the computer after installation.
/r:s Restarts the computer after installation without prompting the user.
/n:v No version checking - Install the program over any earlier version.

Note These switches do not necessarily work with all updates. If a switch is not available, that functionality is required for the correct installation of the update. Also, using the /n:v switch is unsupported and may result in an unbootable system. If the installation is unsuccessful, you should contact your support professional to understand why it could not install.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Note The full file office update is intended for both client and administrative deployment scenarios.

Client Deployment Information

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2002.
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, find the folder that contains the saved file, and then double-click the saved file.
  5. If you are prompted to install the update, click Yes.
  6. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  7. Insert your original source CD-ROM when you are prompted to do so, and then click OK.
  8. When you receive a message that states the installation was successful, click OK.

Note If the security update is already installed on your computer, you see the following error message: This update has already been applied or is included in an update that has already been applied.

Client Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2002:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 10.0.6809.0 02-Jun-2006 01:43 9,358,096

Administrative Installation Information

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 computer.

Installation Information

The following setup switches are relevant to administrative installations as they allow an administrator to customize how the files are extracted from within the security update.

Switch Description
/? Displays the command-line options.
/q Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/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 Override install command defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Administrative Deployment Information

To update your administrative installation, follow these steps:

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2002.
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, locate the folder that contains the saved file. Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK to extract the .msp file:
    [path\name of EXE file] /c /t:C:\AdminUpdate
    Note Double-clicking the .exe file does not extract the .msp file; it applies the update to the local computer. In order to update an administrative image, you must first extract the .msp file.
  5. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  6. Click Yes if you are prompted to create the folder.
  7. If you are familiar with the procedure for updating your administrative installation, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
    msiexec /a Admin Path**\**MSI File **/p C:\adminUpdate\**MSP File SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE
    Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\OfficeXp), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and MSP File is the name of the administrative update (for example, SHAREDff.msp).
    Note You can append /qb+ to the command line so that the Administrative Installation dialog box and the End User License Agreement dialog box do not appear.
  8. Click Next in the provided dialog box. Do not change your CD key, installation location, or company name in the provided dialog box.
  9. Click I accept the terms in the License Agreement, and then click Install.

At this point, your administrative installation point is updated. Next, you must update the workstation configurations that were originally installed from this administrative installation. To do this, see the “Workstation Deployment Information” section. Any new installations that you run from this administrative installation point will include the update.

Warning Any workstation configuration that was originally installed from this administrative installation before you installed the update cannot use this administrative installation for actions like repairing Office or adding new features until you complete the steps in the “Workstation Deployment Information” section for this workstation.

Workstation Deployment Information

To deploy the update to the client workstations, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:

msiexec /I Admin Path**\**MSI File **/qb REINSTALL=**Feature List REINSTALLMODE=vomu

Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\OfficeXP), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and Feature List is 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
Excel 2002 ALL

Note Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization on the Office Admin Update Center. On the home page of that site, look under the Update Strategies section for the software version you are updating. The Windows Installer Documentation also provides more information about the parameters supported by the Windows Installer.

Administrative Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2002:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 10.0.6809.0 02-Jun-2006 01:43 9,358,096

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
    Note MBSA 1.2.1 uses an integrated version of the Office Detection Tool (ODT) which does not support remote scans of this issue. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. For more information about MBSA support, visit the following Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.2 Q&A; Web site.

  • File Version Verification
    Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. 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 computer 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.

Excel 2000

Prerequisites and Additional Update Details

Important Before you install this update, make sure that the following requirements have been met:

  • Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0 must be installed. Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) include Windows Installer 2.0 or a later version. To install the latest version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

Windows Installer 2.0 for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Millennium Edition

Windows Installer 2.0 for Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0

For more information about how to determine the version of Office 2000 that is installed on your computer, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 255275.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs

None. Service Pack 3 is the last service pack for Office 2000.

Restart Requirement

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.

Removal Information

After you install the update, you cannot remove it. To revert to an installation before the update was installed; you must remove the application, and then install it again from the original CD-ROM.

Automated Client Installation Information

Office Update Web Site

We recommend that you install the Microsoft Office 2000 client updates by using the Office Update Web site. The Office Update Web site detects which installation you have and prompts you to install exactly what you must have to make sure that your installation is completely up to date.

To have the Office Update Web site detect the updates that you must install on your computer, visit the Office Update Web site, and then click Check for Updates. After detection is complete, you will receive a list of recommended updates for your approval. Click Agree and Install to complete the process.

Manual Client Installation Information

For detailed information about how to manually install this update, review the following section.

Installation Information

The security update supports the following setup 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 Override install command defined by author. Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.
/r:n Never restarts the computer after installation.
/r:I Prompts the user to restart the computer if a restart is required, except when used with /q:a.
/r:a Always restarts the computer after installation.
/r:s Restarts the computer after installation without prompting the user.
/n:v No version checking - Install the program over any earlier version.

Note These switches do not necessarily work with all updates. If a switch is not available, that functionality is required for the correct installation of the update. Also, using the /n:v switch is unsupported and may result in an unbootable system. If the installation is unsuccessful, you should contact your support professional to understand why it could not install.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Note The full file office update is intended for both client and administrative deployment scenarios.

Client Deployment Information

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2000.
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, find the folder that contains the saved file, and then double-click the saved file.
  5. If you are prompted to install the update, click Yes.
  6. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  7. Insert your original source CD-ROM when you are prompted to do so, and then click OK.
  8. When you receive a message that states the installation was successful, click OK.

Note If the security update is already installed on your computer, you receive the following error message: This update has already been applied or is included in an update that has already been applied.

Client Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2000:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 9.0.0.8946 01-Jun-2006 16:58 7,233,581

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Note MBSA 1.2.1 uses an integrated version of the Office Detection Tool (ODT) which does not support remote scans of this issue. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. For more information about MBSA support, visit the following Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 1.2 Q&A; Web site.

  • File Version Verification

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. 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 computer 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.

Administrative Installation Information

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 computer.

Installation Information

The following setup switches are relevant to administrative installations as they allow an administrator to customize how the files are extracted from the security update.

Switch Description
/? Displays the command-line options.
/q Specifies quiet mode, or suppresses prompts, when files are being extracted.
/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.

For more information about the supported setup switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 197147.

Administrative Deployment Information

To update your administrative installation, follow these steps:

  1. Download the security update for Excel 2000.
  2. Click Save this program to disk, and then click OK.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Using Windows Explorer, locate the folder that contains the saved file. Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK to extract the .msp file:
    [path\name of EXE file] /c /t:C:\AdminUpdate
    Note Double-clicking the .exe file does not extract the .msp file; it applies the update to the local computer. In order to update an administrative image, you must first extract the .msp file.
  5. Click Yes to accept the License Agreement.
  6. Click Yes if you are prompted to create the folder.
  7. If you are familiar with the procedure for updating your administrative installation, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:
    msiexec /a Admin Path**\**MSI File **/p C:\AdminUpdate\**MSP File SHORTFILENAMES=TRUE
    Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\Office2000), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and MSP File is the name of the administrative update (for example, SHAREDff.msp).
    Note You can append /qb+ to the command line so that the Administrative Installation dialog box and the End User License Agreement dialog box do not appear.
  8. Click Next in the provided dialog box. Do not change your CD key, installation location, or company name in the provided dialog box.
  9. Click I accept the terms in the License Agreement, and then click Install.

At this point, your administrative installation point is updated. Next, you must update the workstations configurations that were originally installed from this administrative installation. To do this, please review the “Workstation Deployment Information” section. Any new installations that you run from this administrative installation point will include the update.

Warning Any workstation configuration that was originally installed from this administrative installation before you installed the update cannot use this administrative installation for actions like repairing Office or adding new features until you complete the steps in the “Workstation Deployment Information” section for this workstation.

Workstation Deployment Information

To deploy the update to the client workstations, click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then click OK:

msiexec /I Admin Path**\**MSI File **/qb REINSTALL=**Feature List REINSTALLMODE=vomu

Note Admin Path is the path of your administrative installation point for your application (for example, C:\Office2000), MSI File is the .msi database package for the application (for example, Data1.msi), and Feature List is 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
Excel 2000 EXCELFiles

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.

Administrative Installation File Information

The English version of this update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Excel 2000:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 9.0.0.8946 01-Jun-2006 16:58 7,233,581

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Note MBSA 1.2.1 uses an integrated version of the Office Detection Tool (ODT) which does not support remote scans of this security update. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site.

  • File Version Verification

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. 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 computer 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.

Excel 2004 for Mac

Installation Information

Restart Requirement

This update does not require you to restart your computer.

Removal Information

This update cannot be uninstalled.

Installation Information:

  1. Quit any applications that are running, including virus-protection applications, all Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Messenger for Mac, and Office Notifications, because they might interfere with installation.
  2. Open the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.5 Update volume on your desktop. This step might have been performed for you.
  3. To start the update process, in the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.5 Update volume window, double-click the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.5 Update application, and follow the instructions on the screen.
  4. If the installation finishes successfully, you can remove the update installer from your hard disk. To verify that the installation finished successfully, see the “Verifying Update Installation” section. To remove the update installer, first drag the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.2.5 Update volume to the Trash, and then drag the file that you downloaded to the Trash.

Verifying Update Installation

To verify that a security update is installed on an affected system, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Application Binary (Microsoft Office 2004: Microsoft Excel).
  2. Click the application.
  3. Click File, and then click Get Info.

If the Version number is 11.2.5 the update has been successfully installed.

Excel v. X for Mac

Installation Information:

  1. Quit any applications that are running, including virus-protection applications, all Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Messenger, and Office Notifications, because they might interfere with installation.
  2. Open the Microsoft Office v. X for Mac 10.1.7 Update volume on your desktop. This step might have been performed for you
  3. To start the update process, in the Microsoft Office v. X for Mac 10.1.7 Update volume window, double-click the Microsoft Office v. X for Mac 10.1.7 Update application, and follow the instructions on the screen.
  4. If the installation finishes successfully, you can remove the update installer from your hard disk. To verify that the installation finished successfully, see the “Verifying Update Installation” section. To remove the update installer, first drag the Excel X Security Update volume to the Trash, and then drag the file that you downloaded to the Trash

Restart Requirement

This update does not require you to restart your computer.

Removal Information

This update cannot be uninstalled.

Verifying Update Installation

To verify that a security update is installed on an affected system, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Application Binary (Microsoft Office X: Microsoft Excel).
  2. Click the application.
  3. Click File, and then click Get Info.

If the Version number is 10.1.7, the update has been successfully installed.

Other Information

Acknowledgments

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

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 (July 11, 2006): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (July 12, 2006): Bulletin updated the “Client Installation File Information “ and “Administrative Installation File Information” for Excel 2003 in the “Security Update Section”.

Built at 2014-04-18T13:49:36Z-07:00