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CIAC INFORMATION BULLETIN

S-225: Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office (MS08-016)

[Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS08-016)]

March 14, 2008 17:00 GMT
[REVISED 28 Mar 2008]
[REVISED 17 Apr 2008]
[REVISED 1 May 2008]

PROBLEM: There are remote code execution vulnerabilities that exist in the way Microsoft Office handles specially crafted Excel files and processes malformed Office files.
PLATFORM: Office 2000 (all editions)
Office XP (all editions)
Office 2003 (all editions) and Excel Viewer 2003 (all editions), and Word Viewer 2003 (all editions)
Office 2004 for Mac
DAMAGE: Remote code execution.
SOLUTION: Upgrade to the appropriate version.

VULNERABILITY
ASSESSMENT:
The risk is MEDIUM. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by creating a malformed file which could be included as an e-mail attachment, or hosted on a specially crafted or compromised Web site. If a user were logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system.

LINKS:  
  CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/s-225.shtml
  ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-016.mspx
  CVE: CVE-2008-0113 CVE-2008-0118

REVISION HISTORY: 03/28/2008 - revised S-225 to reflect changes Microsoft has made in MS08-016 where they added MS07-025 as a replaced bulletin for Microsoft Office 2003 Servcie Pack 2.
04/17/2008 - revised S-225 to reflect changes Microsoft has made in MS08-016 where they added Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 and Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 as affected software.
05/01/2008 - revised S-225 to reflect changes Microsoft has made in MS08-016 where they added a new entry to the Update FAQ describing additional security features included in the update for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS08-016) *****]

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-016 – Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (949030)

Published: March 11, 2008 | Updated: April 30, 2008

Version: 2.1

General Information

Executive Summary

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

This security update is rated Critical for supported editions of Microsoft Office 2000 and rated Important for supported editions of Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2, Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003 and Microsoft Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3, and Microsoft Office 2004 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 Office allocates memory. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation.  Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately

Known Issues. None

Affected and Non-Affected Software

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

Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Software Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Bulletins Replaced by this Update

Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3
(KB947361)

Remote Code Execution

Critical

MS07-025

Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3
(KB947866)

Remote Code Execution

Important

MS07-025

Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2
(KB947355)

Remote Code Execution

Important

MS07-025

Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003
(KB947355)
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB947355)

Remote Code Execution

Important

None

Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003
(KB947355)
Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB947355)

Remote Code Execution

Important

None

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
(KB949357)

Remote Code Execution

Important

MS08-013

 

Non-Affected Software

Office Suite and Other Software

Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3

Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2003

Microsoft Visio 2002 Service Pack 2

Microsoft Visio 2003 Viewer

Microsoft Word Viewer 2003

Microsoft Project 2000 Service Pack 1

Microsoft Project 2002 Service Pack 2

2007 Microsoft Office System

2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Vulnerability Severity Rating and Maximum Security Impact by Affected Software
Affected Software Microsoft Office Cell Parsing Memory Corruption Vulnerability – CVE-2008-0113 Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0118 Aggregate Severity Rating

Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3

None

Critical 
Remote Code Execution

Critical

Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3

None

Important 
Remote Code Execution

Important

Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2

None

Important 
Remote Code Execution

Important

Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 and Microsoft Office Excel Viewer Service Pack 3

Important 
Remote Code Execution

None

Important

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac

None

Important 
Remote Code Execution

Important

Microsoft Office Cell Parsing Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0113

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

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

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0113.

Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-0118

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

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

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-0118.

Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

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

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

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

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), and the Extended Security Update Inventory Tool. 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.

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 and Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3

Yes

Microsoft Office 2004 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 and Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Office 2004 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. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2.0.

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

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.

For supported versions of Microsoft Office 2000, see How to Create an Administrative Installation Point. For more information about how to change the source for a client system from an updated administrative installation point to an Office 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 932889.

Note If you plan to manage software updates centrally from an updated administrative image, you can find more information in the article Updating Office 2000 Clients from a Patched Administrative Image.

For supported versions of Microsoft Office XP, see Creating an Administrative Installation Point. For more information on how to change the source for a client system from an updated administrative installation point to an Office XP original baseline source, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 922665.

Note If you plan to manage software updates centrally from an updated administrative image, you can find more information in the article Updating Office XP Clients from a Patched Administrative Image.

For supported versions of Microsoft Office 2003, see Creating an Administrative Installation Point. For more information on how to change the source for a client computer from an updated administrative installation point to an Office 2003 original baseline source or Service Pack 2 (SP2), see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 902349.

Note If you plan to manage software updates centrally from an updated administrative image, you can find more information in the article Distributing Office 2003 Product Updates.

For supported versions of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, see Create a network installation point for the 2007 Office system.

Note If you plan to manage security updates centrally, use Windows Server Update Services. For more information about how to deploy security updates for the 2007 Microsoft Office system using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.

Security Update Deployment

Affected Software

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

* Office 2000 (all editions)
* Office XP (all editions)
* Office 2003 (all editions) and Excel Viewer 2003 (all editions)
* Office 2004 for Mac

Other Information

Acknowledgments

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

Arnaud Dovi, working with Zero Day Initiative, for reporting the Microsoft Office Cell Parsing Vulnerability (CVE-2008-0113)

An anonymous finder for reporting the Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-208-0118)

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. Also removed MS07-015 as a replaced bulletin for Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3.

V1.2 (March 26, 2008): Bulletin updated. Added MS07-025 as a replaced bulletin for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.

V2.0 (April 16, 2008): Bulletin updated. Added Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 and Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 as affected software.

V2.1 (April 30, 2008): Bulletin updated. Added a new entry to the Update FAQ describing additional security features included in the update for Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2.

 


[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS08-016) *****]

   

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