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Credit:
The information has been provided by Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-001.
The original article can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms07-001.mspx
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Affected Software:
* Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 (Brazilian Portuguese Version)- Download the update (KB921585)
* Microsoft Word 2003
* Microsoft Excel 2003
* Microsoft Outlook 2003
* Microsoft Access 2003
* Microsoft OneNote 2003
* Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
* Microsoft Publisher 2003
* Microsoft Access 2003
* Microsoft InfoPath 2003
* Microsoft FrontPage 2003
* Microsoft Visio 2003
* Microsoft Visio Enterprise Architects 2003
* Microsoft Office Multilingual User Interface 2003 Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB921585)
* Microsoft Project Multilingual User Interface 2003 Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB921585)
* Microsoft Visio Multilingual User Interface 2003 Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB921585)
* Microsoft Office Proofing Tools 2003 Service Pack 2 - Download the update (KB921585)
Non-Affected Software:
* Microsoft Office 2000
* Microsoft Office XP
* Microsoft Office 2007
* Microsoft Office v.X for Mac
* Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
Mitigating Factors:
* 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.
* In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains Office files 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 malicious Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade them to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link that takes them to the attacker's 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 or reply to an e-mail if Word is being used as the e-mail editor.
Workarounds:
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:
What is the scope of the vulnerability?
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Office 2003 Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Checker. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability when Office opens a file and parses the text.
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?
The Office 2003 Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Checker does not perform sufficient data validation when Office opens a file and parses the text. 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 take complete control of the affected system.
How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
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 or reply to an e-mail if Word is being used as the e-mail editor.
In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker would have to host a Web site that contains Office files 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 malicious Web site. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade 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?
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?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that the Office 2003 Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Checker parses the text before passing it to the allocated buffer.
When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
Yes. This vulnerability has been publicly disclosed. It has been assigned Common Vulnerability and Exposure number CVE-2006-5574.
When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had seen examples of proof of concept code published publicly but had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers when this security bulletin was originally issued.
CVE Information:
CVE-2006-5574
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