SecurityvulnsSECURITYVULNS:DOC:22775Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-068 - Important Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (976307)
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-068 - Important
Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (976307)
Published: November 10, 2009
Version: 1.0
General Information
Executive Summary
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word 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 Important for all supported editions of Microsoft Office Word 2002 and Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, Open XML File Format Converter for Mac, and all supported versions of Microsoft Office Word Viewer. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.
The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way that Microsoft Office Word opens specially crafted Word 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.
Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update at the earliest opportunity.
Known Issues. None
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Affected and Non-Affected Software
The following software have been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
Affected Software
Office Suite and Other Software Component Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Bulletins Replaced by this Update
Microsoft Office Suites and Components
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3
(KB973444)
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3
Microsoft Office Word 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB973443)
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Microsoft Office for Mac
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
(KB976830)
Not applicable
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
(KB976828)
Not applicable
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
(KB976831)
Not applicable
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Other Office Software
Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3
(KB973866)
Not applicable
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Microsoft Office Word Viewer
(KB973866)
Not applicable
Remote Code Execution
Important
MS09-027
Non-Affected Software
Office and Other Software
Microsoft Office Word 2007 Service Pack 1
Microsoft Office Word 2007 Service Pack 2
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2
Microsoft Works 8.5
Microsoft Works 9
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update
Where are the file information details?
Refer to the reference tables in the Security Update Deployment section for the location of the file information details.
What is Microsoft Office Word Viewer?
Microsoft Office Word Viewer is a replacement for Word Viewer 2003 and all previous Word Viewer versions. For information on how to obtain the latest Word Viewer, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 891090.
MS09-067 also describes vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac. How does MS09-067 relate to this bulletin (MS09-068)?
The security update packages in this bulletin, MS09-068, for Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac (KB976830), Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac (KB976828), and Open XML File Format Converter for Mac (KB976831) also address the vulnerabilities described in MS09-067. Users with Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, or Open XML File Format Converter for Mac installed will only need to install these security update packages once.
The Office component discussed in this article is part of the Office Suite that I have installed on my system; however, I did not choose to install this specific component. Will I be offered this update?
Yes, if the version of the Office Suite installed on your system shipped with the component discussed in this bulletin, the system will be offered updates for it whether the component is installed or not. The detection logic used to scan for affected systems is designed to check for updates for all components that shipped with the particular Office Suite and offer the updates to a system. Users who choose not to apply an update for a component that is not installed, but is included in their version of the Office Suite, will not increase the security risk of that system. On the other hand, users who do choose to install the update will not have a negative impact on the security or performance of a system.
Does the offer to update a non-vulnerable version of Microsoft Office constitute an issue 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.
Why is this update only Important for all affected versions of Word?
Microsoft Office Word 2002 and later versions have a built-in feature that prompts a user to Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document. This mitigating factor reduces the vulnerability from Critical to Important because the vulnerability requires more than a single user action to complete the exploit.
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. For more information about the product lifecycle, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.
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. To determine the support lifecycle for your software release, see Select a Product for Lifecycle Information. For more information about service packs for these software releases, see Lifecycle Supported Service Packs.
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 in the Contact Information list, 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 Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.
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Vulnerability Information
Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers
The following severity ratings assume the potential maximum impact of the vulnerability. For information regarding the likelihood, within 30 days of this security bulletin's release, of the exploitability of the vulnerability in relation to its severity rating and security impact, please see the Exploitability Index in the November bulletin summary. For more information, see Microsoft Exploitability Index.
Vulnerability Severity Rating and Maximum Security Impact by Affected Software
Affected Software Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2009-3135 Aggregate Severity Rating
Microsoft Office Suites and Components
Microsoft Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Microsoft Office Word 2003 Service Pack 3
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Microsoft Office for Mac
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Other Office Software
Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
Microsoft Office Word Viewer
Important
Remote Code Execution
Important
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Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2009-3135
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Office Word handles a specially crafted Word file that includes a malformed record. 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.
To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2009-3135.
Mitigating Factors for Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2009-3135
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 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.
•
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.
•
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.
•
Users of Office XP and later editions of Office will be prompted with Open, Save, or Cancel before opening a document.
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Workarounds for Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2009-3135
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 Word documents from untrusted sources
Do not open or save Word 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.
•
Use the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) when opening files from unknown or untrusted 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 system 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:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us
To enable MOICE, change the registered handler for the .doc file format. The following table describes the command to enable or to disable MOICE for the .doc file format:
Command to enable MOICE to be the registered handler Command to disable MOICE as the registered handler
ASSOC .doc=oice.word.document
ASSOC .doc=Word.Document.8
Note On Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the commands above will need to be run from an elevated command prompt.
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.
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FAQ for Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2009-3135
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 exists in the way Microsoft Office Word parses a specially crafted Word file, which 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 specially crafted Word file with an affected version of Microsoft Office Word.
In an e-mail attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted Word document 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, and then convince them to open the specially crafted Word file.
What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Systems where Microsoft Office Word is used, including workstations and terminal servers, 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?
This update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way that Microsoft Office Word opens specially crafted Word files.
When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure.
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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Update Information
Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance
Manage the software and security updates you need to deploy to the servers, desktop, and mobile systems in your organization. For more information see the TechNet Update Management Center. The Microsoft TechNet Security Web site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.
Security updates are available from Microsoft Update and Windows Update. Security updates are also available from the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security update."
Finally, security updates can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The Microsoft Update Catalog provides a searchable catalog of content made available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update, including security updates, drivers and service packs. By searching using the security bulletin number (such as, "MS07-036"), you can add all of the applicable updates to your basket (including different languages for an update), and download to the folder of your choosing. For more information about the Microsoft Update Catalog, see the Microsoft Update Catalog FAQ.
Note Microsoft discontinued support for Office Update and the Office Update Inventory Tool as of August 1, 2009. To continue getting the latest updates for Microsoft Office products, use Microsoft Update. For more information, see About Microsoft Office Update: Frequently Asked Questions.
Detection and Deployment Guidance
Microsoft provides detection and deployment guidance for security updates. This guidance contains recommendations and information that can help IT professionals understand how to use various tools for detection and deployment of security updates. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 961747.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.
The following table provides the MBSA detection summary for this security update.
Software MBSA 2.1.1
Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 3
Yes
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3
Yes
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
No
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
No
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
No
Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Office Word Viewer
Yes
The latest version of MBSA has been released: Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1.1. For more information, see Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1.
Note For customers using legacy software not supported by MBSA 2.1.1, 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 Microsoft Windows 2000 operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.
Systems Management Server
The following table provides the SMS detection and deployment summary for this security update.
Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003 with SUIT SMS 2003 with ITMU Configuration Manager 2007
Office XP Service Pack 3
No
No
Yes
Yes
Office 2003 Service Pack 3
No
No
Yes
Yes
Office 2004 for Mac
No
No
No
No
Office 2008 for Mac
No
No
No
No
Open XML File Format Converter for Mac
No
No
No
No
Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Office Word Viewer
No
No
Yes
Yes
For SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003, the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) can be used by SMS to detect security updates. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2.0.
For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 ITMU, see SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates. For more information about SMS scanning tools, see SMS 2003 Software Update Scanning Tools. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2003.
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 uses WSUS 3.0 for detection of updates. For more information about Configuration Manager 2007 Software Update Management, visit System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
For more information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.
For more detailed information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910723: Summary list of monthly detection and deployment guidance articles.
Note If you have used an Administrative Installation Point (AIP) for deploying Office 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 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 3 (SP3), 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 Upgrades.
•
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.
Update Compatibility Evaluator and Application Compatibility Toolkit
Updates often write to the same files and registry settings required for your applications to run. This can trigger incompatibilities and increase the time it takes to deploy security updates. You can streamline testing and validating Windows updates against installed applications with the Update Compatibility Evaluator components included with Application Compatibility Toolkit.
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Microsoft Windows Vista, a Windows Update, a Microsoft Security Update, or a new version of Windows Internet Explorer in your environment.
Other Information
Acknowledgments
Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers:
•
Jun Mao of VeriSign iDefense Labs for reporting the Microsoft Office Word File Information Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-2009-3135).
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Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP)
To improve security protections for customers, Microsoft provides vulnerability information to major security software providers in advance of each monthly security update release. Security software providers can then use this vulnerability information to provide updated protections to customers via their security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. To determine whether active protections are available from security software providers, please visit the active protections Web sites provided by program partners, listed in Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) Partners.
Support
•
Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from Security Support or 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates. For more information about available support options, see Microsoft Help and Support.
•
International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.
Disclaimer
The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.
Revisions
•
V1.0 (November 10, 2009): Bulletin published.
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