Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-038 Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (917284)

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-038
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Could Allow Remote Code Execution (917284)
Published: July 11, 2006

Version: 1.0
Summary

Who Should Read this Document: Customers who use Microsoft Office

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately

Security Update Replacement: None

Caveats: None

Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:

Affected Software:
•

Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB917151)
•

Microsoft Access 2003
•

Microsoft Excel 2003
•

Microsoft Excel 2003 Viewer
•

Microsoft FrontPage 2003
•

Microsoft InfoPath 2003
•

Microsoft OneNote 2003
•

Microsoft Outlook 2003
•

Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
•

Microsoft Project 2003
•

Microsoft Publisher 2003
•

Microsoft Visio 2003
•

Microsoft Word 2003
•

Microsoft Word 2003 Viewer
•

Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3 - Download the update (KB917150)
•

Microsoft Access 2002
•

Microsoft Excel 2002
•

Microsoft FrontPage 2002
•

Microsoft Outlook 2002
•

Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
•

Microsoft Publisher 2002
•

Microsoft Visio 2002
•

Microsoft Word 2002
•

Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 - Download the update (KB917152)
•

Microsoft Access 2000
•

Microsoft Excel 2000
•

Microsoft FrontPage 2000
•

Microsoft Outlook 2000
•

Microsoft PowerPoint 2000
•

Microsoft Publisher 2000
•

Microsoft Word 2000
•

Microsoft Project 2002 Service Pack 1 - Download the update (KB917150)
•

Microsoft Visio 2002 Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB917150)
•

Microsoft Project 2000 Service Release 1 Download the update (KB917152)
•

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
•

Microsoft Office v. X for Mac

Non-Affected Software:
•

Microsoft Works Suites:
•

Microsoft Works Suite 2004
•

Microsoft Works Suite 2005
•

Microsoft Works Suite 2006

The software in this list has been tested to determine whether the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support life cycle for your product and version, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.
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General Information

Executive Summary

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

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

We recommend that customers apply the update immediately.

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers:
Vulnerability Identifiers Impact of Vulnerability Microsoft Office 2003 Microsoft Office XP Microsoft Office 2000 Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac or Microsoft Office v. X for Mac

Microsoft Office Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1316

Remote Code Execution

Important

Important

Critical

Important

Microsoft Office Malformed String Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1540

Remote Code Execution

Important

Important

Critical

Important

Microsoft Office Property Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2389

Remote Code Execution

Important

Important

Critical

Important

Aggregate Severity of All Vulnerabilities

Important

Important

Critical

Important

This assessment is based on the types of systems that are affected by the vulnerability, their typical deployment patterns, and the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on them.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

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

The following table provides the MBSA detection summary for this security update.
Software MBSA 1.2.1 MBSA 2.0

Microsoft Office 2003

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Office XP

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Office 2000

Yes

No

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac

No

No

Microsoft Office v. X for Mac

No

No

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

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

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

The following table provides the SMS summary for this security update.
Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003

Microsoft Office 2003

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Office XP

Yes

Yes

Microsoft Office 2000

Yes

No

Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac

No

No

Microsoft Office v. X for Mac

No

No

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

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

For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site. SMS 2003 can also use the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.

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

Microsoft Office Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1316

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office, and could be exploited when a malformed string included in an Office file was parsed by any of the affected Office applications. Such a string might be included in an email attachment processed by one of the affected applications or hosted on a malicious web site. Viewing or previewing a malformed email message in an affected version of Outlook could not lead to exploitation of this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Office file that could allow remote code execution.

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

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Office Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1316
•

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
•

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

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.
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Workarounds for Microsoft Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1316:

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

Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you received unexpectedly from trusted sources.

This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.
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FAQ for Microsoft Office Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1316:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office, and could be exploited when a malformed string included in an Office file was parsed by any of the affected Office applications. Such a string might be included in an email attachment processed by one of the affected applications or hosted on a malicious web site. Viewing or previewing a malformed email message in an affected version of Outlook could not lead to exploitation of this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Office file that could allow remote code execution.

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

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

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause arbitrary code to run with the privileges of the user who opened the file.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

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

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Office parses the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.
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Microsoft Office Malformed String Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1540

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office, and could be exploited when a malformed string included in an Office file was parsed by any of the affected Office applications. Such a string might be included in an email attachment processed by one of the affected applications or hosted on a malicious web site. Viewing or previewing a malformed email message in an affected version of Outlook could not lead to exploitation of this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Office file that could allow remote code execution.

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

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Office Malformed String Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1540
•

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
•

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

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

Note Office 2000 does not prompt the user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.
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Workarounds for Microsoft Office Malformed String Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1540:

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

Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you received unexpectedly from trusted sources.

This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.
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FAQ for Microsoft Office Malformed String Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2006-1540:

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

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

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

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause arbitrary code to run with the privileges of the user who opened the file.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

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

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Office parses the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

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

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
Yes. When the security bulletin was released, Microsoft had received information that this vulnerability was being exploited.
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Microsoft Office Property Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2389

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office, and could be exploited when a malformed property included in an Office file was parsed by any of the affected Office applications. Such a property might be included in an email attachment processed by one of the affected applications or hosted on a malicious web site. Viewing or previewing a malformed email message in an affected version of Outlook could not lead to exploitation of this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Office file that could allow remote code execution.

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

Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Office Property Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2389
•

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
•

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

In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

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

Workarounds for Microsoft Property Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2389:

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

Do not open or save Microsoft Office files that you receive from un-trusted sources or that you received unexpectedly from trusted sources.

This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a file.
Top of sectionTop of section

FAQ for Microsoft Office Property Vulnerability - CVE-2006-2389:

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office, and could be exploited when a malformed property included in an Office file was parsed by any of the affected Office applications. Such a property might be included in an email attachment processed by one of the affected applications or hosted on a malicious web site. Viewing or previewing a malformed email message in an affected version of Outlook could not lead to exploitation of this vulnerability. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Office file that could allow remote code execution.

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

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

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause arbitrary code to run with the privileges of the user who opened the file.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or instant messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site.

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

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if users who have sufficient administrative permissions are given the ability to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that Office parses the length of a record before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued. This security bulletin addresses the privately disclosed vulnerability as well as additional issues discovered through internal investigations.

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

Revisions:
•

V1.0 (July 11, 2006): Bulletin published.