| PROBLEM: | A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Word handles specially crafted Word files. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file that includes a malformed record value. |
| PLATFORM: | Microsoft Word 2002 Microsoft Word 2003 (all editions) |
| DAMAGE: | Remote code execution. |
| SOLUTION: | Upgrade to the appropriate version. |
| VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: |
The risk is MEDIUM. THis vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file that includes a malformed record value. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. |
| CVSS 2 BASE SCORE: TEMPORAL SCORE: VECTOR: |
7.5 6.2 (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P/E:F/RL:OF/RC:C) |
| LINKS: | |
| CIAC BULLETIN: | http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/s-348.shtml |
| ORIGINAL BULLETIN: | http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-042.mspx |
| CVE: | CVE-2008-2244 |
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS08-042) *****]
Version: 1.0
This security update resolves a publicly reported vulnerability in Microsoft Word. This vulnerability 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 supported editions of Microsoft Word 2002 and Microsoft Word 2003. 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 Word handles 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.
This security update also addresses the vulnerability first described in Microsoft Security Advisory 953635.
Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update at the earliest opportunity.
Known Issues. None
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 Word 2002 Service Pack 3 (KB954463) |
Remote Code Execution |
Important |
|
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 2 (KB954464) |
Remote Code Execution |
Important |
|
Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 3 (KB954464) |
Remote Code Execution |
Important |
Non-Affected Software
| Office and Other Software | Component |
Microsoft Office 2000 Service Pack 3 |
Microsoft Word 2000 Service Pack 3 |
2007 Microsoft Office System |
Microsoft Word 2007 |
2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 1 |
Microsoft Word 2007 Service Pack 1 |
Microsoft Word Viewer 2003 |
|
Microsoft Word Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3 |
|
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats |
|
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 |
|
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac |
|
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac |
|
|
|
Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers |
| Affected Software | Word Record Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-2244 | Aggregate Severity Rating |
Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 3 |
Important |
Important |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 2 |
Important |
Important |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 3 |
Important |
Important |
Word Record Parsing Vulnerability - CVE-2008-2244 |
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Word handles specially crafted Word files. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Word file that includes a malformed record value. 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.
To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-2244.
|
|
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 2.1 |
Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 3 |
Yes |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 2 |
Yes |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 3 |
Yes |
For more information about MBSA 2.1, see MBSA 2.1 Frequently Asked Questions.
Note For customers using legacy software not supported by MBSA 2.1, 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. 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 | Configuration Manager 2007 |
Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 3 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 2 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 3 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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 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 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. |
| • | 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. |
| • | 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. |
| • | For supported versions of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, see Create a network installation point for the 2007 Office system. |
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 5.0.
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.
Security Update Deployment |
Affected Software
For information about the specific security update for your affected software, click the appropriate link:
Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers:
| • | ISC/SANS for reporting the Word Record Parsing Vulnerability (CVE-2008-2244). |
| • | 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. |
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.
| • | V1.0 (August 12, 2008): Bulletin published. |
[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS08-042) *****]
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