Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-014 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (949029)

Published: March 11, 2008 | Updated: October 01, 2008

Version: 3.3

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves several privately reported and publicly reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Excel that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Excel file. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for Microsoft Office Excel 2000 Service Pack 3 and rated Important for Excel 2002 Service Pack 3, Excel 2003 Service Pack 2, Excel Viewer 2003, Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats, Office 2004 for Mac, and Office 2008 for Mac. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

This security update addresses these vulnerabilities by modifying the way that Microsoft Excel performs validations when opening Excel files. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

This security update also addresses the vulnerability first described in Microsoft Security Advisory 947563.

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately

Known Issues. Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 949029 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when they install this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues.

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The software listed here have been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Software Component Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Bulletins Replaced by This Update
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 Excel 2000 Service Pack 3\ (KB946979) Remote Code Execution Critical MS07-044
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3 Excel 2002 Service Pack 3\ (KB946976) Remote Code Execution Important MS07-044
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 Excel 2003 Service Pack 2\ (KB943985) Remote Code Execution Important MS07-044
2007 Microsoft Office System Excel 2007\ (KB946974) Remote Code Execution Important MS07-036
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003\ (KB943889) Remote Code Execution Important MS07-044
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats\ (KB947801) Remote Code Execution Important MS07-036
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac\ (KB949357) Remote Code Execution Important MS08-013
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac\ (KB948057) Remote Code Execution Important None

Non-Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Software Component
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Excel 2003 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 Excel 2007 Service Pack 1
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 1
Microsoft Works 8.0
Microsoft Works 8.5
Microsoft Works 9.0
Microsoft Works Suite 2005
Microsoft Works Suite 2006

What components of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats are updated by this bulletin?  The update included with this security bulletin applies only to the specific component within the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats that is affected. For example, in an Excel bulletin, only the Excel compatibility pack component files are included in the update packages and not Word or PowerPoint compatibility pack component files. Word compatibility pack component files are updated in a Word bulletin and PowerPoint compatibility pack component files are updated in a PowerPoint bulletin.

I do not have any products in the Affected Software table installed on my system, but the affected software was included in the Microsoft Office suite from which I installed other Office components. Why am I being offered the security update?  The vulnerabilities described in this security update exist within Microsoft Office but could not be exploited using applications not listed in the Affected Software table. However, some non-affected Microsoft Office applications use some of the same files as the applications listed in the Affected Software table that the security update does affect. In some cases, detection of these shared files will cause the update to be offered even if none of the applications listed in the Affected Software table are present. These shared files do not constitute a vulnerability, but we do recommend installing the security update to prevent it from being offered again.

I use Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2. Are any additional security features included in this update?  Yes, as part of the servicing model for Microsoft Office 2003, when users of Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 install this update, their systems will be upgraded to security functionality that was initially released with Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3. All updates released after January 1, 2008 for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 will include these security features, which were introduced in Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3. We have thoroughly tested this update, but as with all updates, we recommend that users perform testing appropriate to the environment and configuration of their systems. For more information on this issue, please see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 951646.

Why did Microsoft re-release this bulletin on March 19, 2008?  This bulletin has been re-released to re-offer the security update to users of Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3. The security update previously had a known issue in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3. The problem caused Excel calculations to return an incorrect result when a Real Time Data source is used in a user-defined Visual Basic for Applications function. For more information on this issue, including how to determine which version of the update you have installed, please see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 950340. Automatic Updates will correctly offer this update to users of Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3, whether or not they have applied the original MS08-014.

What are the known issues that customers may experience when installing this security update?  Microsoft is aware of a problem with the initial release of this update that may affect users of Microsoft Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3. The problem causes Excel calculations to return an incorrect result when a Real Time Data source is used in a user-defined Visual Basic for Applications function. If you have applications that leverage Real Time Data sources in Visual Basic for Applications functions, we recommend that you perform additional testing before initiating a wide deployment of the update. The investigation on this has been completed and we have issued a re-release of the bulletin on 3/19/2008 to address the problem in the affected versions of Microsoft Excel. For more information on this issue, please see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 950340.

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

It should be a priority for customers who have older releases of the software to migrate to supported releases to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities. For more information about the Windows Product Lifecycle, visit the following Microsoft Support Lifecycle. For more information about the extended security update support period for these software releases, visit the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site.

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

I use Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3. Why am I still being offered this update?
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 is not impacted by the security vulnerabilities documented in this bulletin. However, users will still be offered this update because the update files for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 are newer (with higher version numbers) than the files that are currently on your system. We have thoroughly tested this update, but as with all updates, we recommend that users perform testing appropriate to their environment and configurations of their systems.

I use 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1. Why am I still being offered this update?
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 is not impacted by the security vulnerabilities documented in this bulletin. However, users will still be offered this update because the update files for 2007 Microsoft Office Service Pack 1 are newer (with higher version numbers) than the files that currently on your system. We have thoroughly tested this update, but as with all updates, we recommend that users perform testing appropriate to their environment and configurations of their systems.

Does the offer to update a non-vulnerable version of Microsoft Office constitute a flaw in the Microsoft update mechanism?
No, the update mechanism is functioning correctly in that it detects a lower version of the files on the system than in the update package and thus, offers the update.

What is included in the Microsoft Office update that causes the higher version of the update files?
The update files include changes to support stability changes in Microsoft Office and additional changes to support corporate environment changes. We have thoroughly tested this update, but as with all updates, we recommend that users perform testing appropriate to their environment and configurations of their systems.

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Affected Software Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0111 Excel File Import Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0112 Excel Style Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0114 Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0115 Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0116 Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0117 Macro Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0081 Aggregate Severity Rating
Microsoft Office Excel 2000 Service Pack 3 Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical \ Remote Code Execution Critical
Microsoft Office Excel 2002 Service Pack 3 Important \ Remote Code Execution None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important
Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 Important \ Remote Code Execution None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Important \ Remote Code Execution None None Important \ Remote Code Execution None None None Important
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Important \ Remote Code Execution None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Important \ Remote Code Execution None None Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution None None Important
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important \ Remote Code Execution Important

Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0111

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel processes data validation records when loading Excel files into memory. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0111.

Mitigating Factors for Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0111

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful, a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0111

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

  • Use Microsoft Office File Block policy to block the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents from unknown or untrusted sources and locations

    The following registry scripts can be used to set the File Block policy.

    Note Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect modification of the Registry can be solved. Modify the Registry at your own risk.

    For Office 2003

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000001

    Note In order to use 'FileOpenBlock' with Office 2003, all of the latest Office 2003 security updates must be applied.

    Impact of Workaround: Users who have configured the File Block policy and have not configured a special “exempt directory” as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922848 will be unable to open Office 2003 files or earlier versions in Office 2003 or 2007 Microsoft Office System.

    How to Undo the Workaround:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000000

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

Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0111

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
Microsoft Excel does not perform sufficient validation of data when loading Excel files into memory.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to open the file.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel handles data validation records when loading Excel files from disk to memory.

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.

Excel File Import Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0112

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles data when importing files into Excel. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed .slk file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment, and which could then be imported into Excel.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0112.

Mitigating Factors for Excel File Import Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0112

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would need to convince a user to import a malformed Excel file that could be hosted on a Web site used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful, a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Excel File Import Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0112

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

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

FAQ for Excel File Import Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0112

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
Microsoft Excel does not perform sufficient validation of file data when importing a file into Excel.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user import a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to import the file in Excel.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates file data when importing .slk files into Excel. However, after applying this update, attempts to import a malformed .slk file may still cause Excel to exit unexpectedly. This behavior is not exploitable.

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.

Excel Style Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0114

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles Style record data when opening Excel files. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0114.

Mitigating Factors for Excel Style Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0114

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Style Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0114

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

  • Use the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) when opening files from unknown or un-trusted sources

    The Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) will protect Office 2003 installations by more securely opening Word, Excel, and PowerPoint binary format files.

    To install MOICE, you must have Office 2003 or 2007 Office installed.

    To install MOICE, you must have the Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats. The compatibility pack is available as a free download from the Microsoft Download Center:

    Download the FileFormatConverters.exe package now

    MOICE requires all updates that are recommended for all Office programs. Visit Microsoft Update to install all recommended updates:

    https://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

    To enable MOICE, change the registered handle for the .xls, .xlt, and .xla file formats. The following table describes the command to enable or to disable MOICE for the .xls, .xlt, and .xla file formats:

Command to use to enable MOICE to be the registered handler Command to use to disable MOICE as the registered handler
ASSOC .XLS=oice.excel.sheet ASSOC .xls=Excel.Sheet.8
ASSOC .XLT=oice.excel.template ASSOC .xlt=Excel.Template
ASSOC .XLA=oice.excel.addin ASSOC .xla=Excel.Addin

For more information on MOICE, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 935865.

Impact of Workaround: Office 2003 and earlier formatted documents that are converted to the 2007 Microsoft Office System Open XML format by MOICE will not retain macro functionality. Additionally, documents with passwords or that are protected with Digital Rights Management cannot be converted.

  • Use Microsoft Office File Block policy to block the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents from unknown or untrusted sources and locations

    The following registry scripts can be used to set the File Block policy.

    Note Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect modification of the Registry can be solved. Modify the Registry at your own risk.

    For Office 2003

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000001

    Note In order to use 'FileOpenBlock' with Office 2003, all of the latest Office 2003 security updates must be applied.

    Impact of Workaround: Users who have configured the File Block policy and have not configured a special “exempt directory” as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922848 will be unable to open Office 2003 files or earlier versions in Office 2003 or 2007 Microsoft Office System.

    How to Undo the Workaround:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000000

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

FAQ for Excel Style Record Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0114

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is caused by a memory handling error in Excel when validating Style record information upon opening a specially crafted Excel file. The error 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 run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to open the file.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates Style record information.

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.

Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0115

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles malformed formulas. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0115.

Mitigating Factors for Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0115

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0115

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

  • Use Microsoft Office File Block policy to block the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents from unknown or untrusted sources and locations

    The following registry scripts can be used to set the File Block policy.

    Note Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect modification of the Registry can be solved. Modify the Registry at your own risk.

    For Office 2003

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000001

    Note In order to use 'FileOpenBlock' with Office 2003, all of the latest Office 2003 security updates must be applied.

    Impact of Workaround: Users who have configured the File Block policy and have not configured a special “exempt directory” as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922848 will be unable to open Office 2003 files or earlier versions in Office 2003 or 2007 Microsoft Office System.

    How to Undo the Workaround:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000000

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

FAQ for Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0115

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is caused by a memory calculation error when parsing formula information in a specially crafted Excel file. The error 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 run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to open the file.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates formula information when loading Excel files into memory.

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.

Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0116

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles rich text values when loading application data into memory. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0116.

Mitigating Factors for Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0116

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0116

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

  • Use Microsoft Office File Block policy to block the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents from unknown or untrusted sources and locations

    The following registry scripts can be used to set the File Block policy.

    Note Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect modification of the Registry can be solved. Modify the Registry at your own risk.

    For Office 2003

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000001

    Note In order to use 'FileOpenBlock' with Office 2003, all of the latest Office 2003 security updates must be applied.

    Impact of Workaround: Users who have configured the File Block policy and have not configured a special “exempt directory” as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922848 will be unable to open Office 2003 files or earlier versions in Office 2003 or 2007 Microsoft Office System.

    How to Undo the Workaround:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000000

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

FAQ for Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0116

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
Microsoft Excel does not perform sufficient validation of rich text values when loading application data into memory.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to open the file.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates rich text data values when loading specially crafted Excel files.

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.

Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0117

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles conditional formatting values. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0117.

Mitigating Factors for Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0117

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0117

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

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

FAQ for Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0117

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
Microsoft Excel does not perform sufficient validation of conditional formatting values.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code as the logged-on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed Excel file to the user and by convincing the user to open the file.

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates conditional formatting values when opening Excel files.

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.

Macro Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0081

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way Excel handles macros when opening specially crafted Excel files. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a malformed file which could be hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site, or included as an e-mail attachment.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0081.

Mitigating Factors for Macro Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0081

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

  • In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.
  • An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
  • The vulnerability cannot be exploited automatically through e-mail. For an attack to be successful a user must open an attachment that is sent in an e-mail message.
  • Users who have installed and are using the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool for Office 2000 will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. The features of the Office Document Open Confirmation Tool are incorporated in Office XP and later editions of Office.

Workarounds for Macro Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0081

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

  • Use the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) when opening files from unknown or un-trusted sources

    The Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) will protect Office 2003 installations by more securely opening Word, Excel, and PowerPoint binary format files.

    To install MOICE, you must have Office 2003 or 2007 Office installed.

    To install MOICE, you must have the Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats. The compatibility pack is available as a free download from the Microsoft Download Center:

    Download the FileFormatConverters.exe package now

    MOICE requires all updates that are recommended for all Office programs. Visit Microsoft Update to install all recommended updates:

    https://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us

    To enable MOICE, change the registered handle for the .xls, .xlt, and .xla file formats. The following table describes the command to enable or to disable MOICE for the .xls, .xlt, and .xla file formats:

Command to use to enable MOICE to be the registered handler Command to use to disable MOICE as the registered handler
ASSOC .XLS=oice.excel.sheet ASSOC .xls=Excel.Sheet.8
ASSOC .XLT=oice.excel.template ASSOC .xlt=Excel.Template
ASSOC .XLA=oice.excel.addin ASSOC .xla=Excel.Addin

For more information on MOICE, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 935865.

Impact of Workaround: Office 2003 and earlier formatted documents that are converted to the 2007 Microsoft Office System Open XML format by MOICE will not retain macro functionality. Additionally, documents with passwords or that are protected with Digital Rights Management cannot be converted.

  • Use Microsoft Office File Block policy to block the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents from unknown or untrusted sources and locations.

    The following registry scripts can be used to set the File Block policy.

    Note Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from incorrect modification of the Registry can be solved. Modify the Registry at your own risk.

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000001

    Note In order to use 'FileOpenBlock' with Office 2003, all of the latest Office 2003 security updates must be applied.

    Impact of Workaround: Users who have configured the File Block policy and have not configured a special “exempt directory” as discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922848 will be unable to open Office 2003 files or earlier versions in Office 2003 or 2007 Microsoft Office System.

    How to Undo the Workaround:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileOpenBlock]

    "BinaryFiles"=dword:00000000

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

FAQ for Macro Validation Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0081

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. An attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
Microsoft Excel does not properly validate macro information when loading specially crafted Excel files.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code as the logged on user. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take complete control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
This vulnerability requires that a user open a malformed Excel file with an affected version of Microsoft Excel.

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

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains an Office file that is used to attempt to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit a specially crafted Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to convince them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Excel is used are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users 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 Microsoft Excel validates macro information.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
Yes. This vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued. It has been assigned the Common Vulnerability and Exposure number CVE-2008-0081. This vulnerability was first described in Microsoft Security Advisory 947563.

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

Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

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

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

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

Detection and Deployment Guidance

Microsoft has provided detection and deployment guidance for this month’s security updates. This guidance will also help IT professionals understand how they can use various tools to help deploy the security update, such as Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Office Update, the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), the Office Detection Tool, Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS), the Extended Security Update Inventory Tool, and the Enterprise Update Scan Tool (EST). For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910723.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

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

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

Software MBSA 2.0.1
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 No
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3 Yes
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 Yes
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Yes
2007 Microsoft Office System Yes
Microsoft Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Yes
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac No
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac No

For more information about MBSA 2.0.1, see MBSA 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions.

Note For customers using legacy software not supported by MBSA 2.0.1, Microsoft Update, and Windows Server Update Services: please visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and reference the Legacy Product Support section on how to create comprehensive security update detection with legacy tools.

Windows Server Update Services

By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can deploy the latest critical updates and security updates for Windows 2000 operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000 to Windows 2000 and later operating systems. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server

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

Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003 with SUSFP SMS 2003 with ITMU SCCM 2007
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 Yes Yes No No
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Yes Yes Yes Yes
2007 Microsoft Office System No No Yes Yes
Microsoft Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats No No Yes Yes
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac No No No No
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac No No No No

For SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003, the SMS SUS Feature Pack (SUSFP), which includes the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT), can be used by SMS to detect security updates. SMS SUIT uses the MBSA 1.2.1 engine for detection. For more information about SUIT, visit the following Microsoft Web site. For more information about the limitations of SUIT, 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 (ITMU) can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 ITMU, visit the following Microsoft Web site. SMS 2003 can also use the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.

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

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

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

Note If you have used an Administrative Installation Point (AIP) for deploying Office 2000, Office XP or Office 2003, you may not be able to deploy the update using SMS if you have updated the AIP from the original baseline. For more information, see the Office Administrative Installation Point heading in this section.

Office Administrative Installation Point

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

Security Update Deployment

Affected Software

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

Excel 2000 (all editions)

Reference Table

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

Inclusion in Future Service Packs There are no more service packs planned for this software. The update for this issue may be included in a future update rollup.
Deployment
Installing without user intervention office2000-kb946979-fullfile-enu /q:a
Installing without restarting office2000-kb946979-fullfile-enu /r:n
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the subsection, **Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.**For features you can selectively install, see the Office Features for Administrative Installations subsection in this section.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? This update does not require a restart.
Hotpatching Not applicable
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 media.
File Information See the heading, File Information, below for the full file manifest
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

File Information

The English version of this security 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.

For all supported editions of Excel 2000:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 9.0.0.8968 05-Feb-2008 03:37 6,915,184

Note For a complete list of supported versions, see the Support Lifecycle Index. For a complete list of service packs, see Lifecycle Supported Service Packs. For more information on the support lifecycle policy, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Office Features for Administrative Installations

Server administrators who use a Windows Installer Administrative Installation must update the server location. For more information about Administrative Installation Points, refer to the Office Administrative Installation Point information in the Detection and deployment Tools and Guidance subsection.

The following table contains the list of feature names (case sensitive) that must be reinstalled for the update.

To install all features, you can use REINSTALL=ALL or you can install the following features:

Product Feature
O9EXL, O9PRM, O9PRO, O9SBE, O9PIPC1, O9PIPC2, O9STD ExcelFiles

Note Administrators working in managed environments can find 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 setup switches supported by Windows Installer.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

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

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

To install the latest version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

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

This security update supports the following setup switches.

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

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

Removing the Update

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 media.

Verifying That the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the “Microsoft baseline Security Analyzer” heading under the section, Microsoft Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.

  • File Version Verification

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

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

Excel 2002 (all editions)

Reference Table

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

Inclusion in Future Service Packs There are no more service packs planned for this software. The update for this issue may be included in a future update rollup.
Deployment
Installing without user intervention officexp-kb946976-fullfile-enu /q:a
Installing without restarting officexp-kb946976-fullfile-enu /r:n
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the subsection, **Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.**For features you can selectively install, see the Office Features for Administrative Installations subsection in this section.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? This update does not require a restart.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office XP CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.
File Information See the heading, File Information, below for the full file manifest
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

File Information

The English version of this security 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.

For all supported editions of Excel 2002:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 10.0.6841.0 28-Jan-2008 19:41 9,364,480

Note For a complete list of supported versions, see the Support Lifecycle Index. For a complete list of service packs, see Lifecycle Supported Service Packs. For more information on the support lifecycle policy, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Office Features

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

Product Feature
PIPC1, PROPLUS, PRO, SBE, STD, STDEDU EXCELFiles, WordNonBootFiles
EXCEL 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.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

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

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

To install the latest version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

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

This security update supports the following setup switches.

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

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

Removing the Update

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

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

Verifying That the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the “Microsoft baseline Security Analyzer” heading under the section, Microsoft Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.

  • File Version Verification

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

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

Excel 2003 and Excel Viewer 2003 (all editions)

Reference Table

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

Inclusion in Future Service Packs The update for this issue will be included in a future service pack or update rollup.
Deployment
Installing without user intervention For Excel 2003:\ office2003-KB943985-v2-FullFile-enu /q:a\ \ \ office2003-KB943889-FullFile-ENU /q:a
Installing without restarting For Excel 2003:\ office2003-KB943985-v2-FullFile-enu / r:n\ \ \ office2003-KB943889-FullFile-ENU / r:n
Update log file Not applicable
Further information For detection and deployment, see the subsection, **Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.**For features you can selectively install, see the Office Features for Administrative Installations subsection in this section.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? This update does not require a restart.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.Note When you remove this update, you may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Office 2003 CD in the CD drive. Additionally, you may not have the option to uninstall the update from the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. There are several possible causes for this issue. For more information about the removal, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 903771.
File Information See the heading, File Information, below for the full file manifest
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

File Information

The English version of this security 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.

For all editions of Excel 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 11.0.8211.0 16-Mar-2008 07:16 10,352,128

For all editions of Excel Viewer 2003:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Xlview.exe 11.0.8202.0 20-Nov-2007 03:40 5,276,672

Note For a complete list of supported versions, see the Support Lifecycle Index. For a complete list of service packs, see Lifecycle Supported Service Packs. For more information on the support lifecycle policy, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Office Features

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

Product Feature
STD11, BASIC11, PERS11, PROI11, PRO11, STDP11, EXCEL11, PRO11SB All
XLVIEW ExcelViewer

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

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

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

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

To install the latest version of Windows Installer, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

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

This security update supports the following setup switches.

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

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

Removing the Update

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

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

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the “Microsoft baseline Security Analyzer” heading under the section, Microsoft Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.

  • File Version Verification

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

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

Excel 2007 and Excel Compatibility Pack (all editions)

Reference Table

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

Inclusion in Future Service Packs The update for this issue may be included in a future update rollup
Deployment
Installing without user intervention For Excel 2007:\ Excel2007-kb946974-fullfile-x86-glb /passive\ \ \ Office2007-kb947801-fullfile-x86-glb /passive
Installing without restarting For Excel 2007:\ Excel2007-kb946974-fullfile-x86-glb /norestart\ \ \ Office2007-kb947801-fullfile-x86-glb /norestart
Update log file Users can enable verbose logging by using the /log switch. See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 912203 for more details.
Further information See the subsection, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.
Restart Requirement
Restart required? This update does not require a restart.
Hotpatching Not applicable
Removal Information Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.
File Information See the subsection, File Information, in this section for the full file manifest
Registry Key Verification Not applicable

File Information

The English version of this security 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.

For all supported editions of Excel 2007:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excel.exe 12.0.6300.5000 13-Dec-2007 07:45 17,904,152
Excel.man 08-Dec-2007 03:25 791
Excel.pip 08-Dec-2007 03:26 1,656
Xlcall32.dll 12.0.6300.5000 08-Dec-2007 04:59 13,368

For all supported editions of Excel Compatibility Pack:

File Name Version Date Time Size
Excelcnv.exe 12.0.6300.5000 7-Dec-2007 14:50 14,712,344

Note For a complete list of supported versions and editions, see the Support Lifecycle Index. For a complete list of service packs, see Lifecycle Supported Service Packs. For more information on the support lifecycle policy, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Office Features

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

Product Feature
Excel 2007 EXCELFiles
Excel Converter ExcelConverter12Files

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

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

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

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

To install Windows Installer 3.1, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

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

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Supported Security Update Installation Switches
Switch Description
/extract:[path*]* Extracts the content of the package to the path folder. If a path is not specified, then a Browse dialog box appears.
/log:[path to log file*]* Enables verbose logging for the update installation.
/lang:lcid Sets the user interface to the specified locale when multiple locales are available in the package.
/quiet Runs the package in silent mode.
/passive Runs the update without any interaction from the user.
/norestart Prevents prompting of the user when a restart of the computer is needed.
/forcerestart Forces a restart of the computer as soon as the update is finished.
/?, /h, /help Shows this help message.
/extract:[path] Extracts the content of the package to the path folder. If a path is not specified, then a Browse dialog box appears.
/log:[path to log file] Enables verbose logging for the update installation.
/lang:lcid Sets the user interface to the specified locale when multiple locales are available in the package.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 912203. For more information about the installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

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

Removing the Update

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

Verifying That the Update Has Been Applied

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

    To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the “Microsoft baseline Security Analyzer” heading under the section, Microsoft Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance.

  • File Version Verification

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

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

Office 2004 for Mac

Deployment Information

Prerequisites

  • Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later on a G3, Mac OS X-compatible processor or higher
  • Mac OS X user accounts must have administrator privileges to install this security update.

Installing the Update

Download and install the appropriate language version of the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 Update from the Microsoft Mactopia Web site.

  • 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.
  • Open the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 Update volume on your desktop. This step might have been performed for you.
  • To start the update process, in the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 Update volume window, double-click the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 Update application, and follow the instructions on the screen.
  • If the installation finishes successfully, you can remove the update installer from your hard disk. To verify that the installation finished successfully, see the following “Verifying Update Installation” heading. To remove the update installer, first drag the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 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. In the Finder, navigate to the Application Folder (Microsoft Office 2004: Office).
  2. Select the file, Microsoft Component Plugin.
  3. On the File menu, click Get Info or Show Info.

If the Version number is 11.4.1, the update has been successfully installed.

Restart Requirement

This update does not require you to restart your computer.

Removing the Update

This security update cannot be uninstalled.

Additional Information

If you have technical questions or problems downloading or using this update, visit Microsoft for Mac Supportto learn about the support options that are available to you.

Office 2008 for Mac

Deployment Information

Prerequisites

  • Mac OS X version 10.4.9 or later on an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (500 MHz or faster) processor
  • Mac OS X user accounts must have administrator privileges to install this security update.

Installing the Update

Download and install the appropriate language version of the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update from the Microsoft Mactopia Web site.

  • 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.
  • Open the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update volume on your desktop. This step might have been performed for you.
  • To start the update process, in the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update volume window, double-click the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update application, and follow the instructions on the screen.
  • If the installation finishes successfully, you can remove the update installer from your hard disk. To verify that the installation finished successfully, see the following “Verifying Update Installation” heading. To remove the update installer, first drag the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 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. In the Finder, navigate to the Application Folder (Microsoft Office 2008: Office).
  2. Select the file, Microsoft Component Plugin.
  3. On the File menu, click Get Info or Show Info.

If the Version number is 12.0.1, the update has been successfully installed.

Restart Requirement

This update does not require you to restart your computer.

Removing the Update

This security update cannot be uninstalled.

Additional Information

If you have technical questions or problems downloading or using this update, visit Microsoft for Mac Supportto learn about the support options that are available to you.

Other Information

Acknowledgments

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

  • Mike Scott of SAIC for reporting the Macro Validation Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0081)
  • Matt Richard of VeriSign for reporting the Macro Validation Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0081)
  • Greg MacManus of iDefense Labs for reporting the Excel Data Validation Record Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0111)
  • Yoshiya Sasaki of JFE Systems for reporting the Excel File Import Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0112)
  • Bing Liu of Fortinet for reporting the Excel Style Record Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0114)
  • iDefense Labs for reporting the Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0115)
  • Cody Pierce of TippingPoint DVLabs for reporting the Excel Rich Text Validation Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0116)
  • Moti Joseph and Dan Hubbard of Websense Security Labs for reporting the Excel Conditional Formatting Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0117)

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.

Disclaimer

The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.

Revisions

  • V1.0 (March 11, 2008): Bulletin published.
  • V1.1 (March 12, 2008): Bulletin updated. FAQ added to clarify the reason why a non-vulnerable version of Office will be offered this update.
  • V2.0 (March 13, 2008): Bulletin updated. FAQ added about known issues relating to users of Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3.
  • V3.0 (March 19, 2008): Bulletin updated. Added Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 and Compatibility Pack Service Pack 1 to non-affected software. Added FAQ about re-release to fix known issues relating to Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3. Updated the file name of the Excel 2003 update executable.
  • V3.1 (April 16, 2008): Bulletin updated: Added entry to Update FAQ to describe additional security features included for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.
  • V3.2 (June 4, 2008): Bulletin updated: Added entry to Update FAQ to explain why the update may be offered even when none of the affected software is present on the system.
  • V3.3 (October 1, 2008): Added entry to the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update, to explain what components of the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats are updated by this bulletin. This is an informational change only. There were no changes to the security update binaries.

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