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Updated at 2:20 p.m. PDT with Adobe update released; at 12:25 p.m. PDT with Microsoft saying this is a record number of vulnerabilities addressed in Patch Tuesday; and at 11:45 a.m. PDT with comment.
Microsoft has released 10 security updates fixing a record number of Patch Tuesday holes, including one for a critical hole in Internet Explorer 8 that was exploited as part of a hacking contest at CanSecWest in March.
The bulletin addresses 31 vulnerabilities. "It's the most since Microsoft started releasing updates on a regular schedule of the second Tuesday of every month in October 2003," a Microsoft spokesman said.
The June security Patch Tuesday bulletin resolves eight vulnerabilities in IE, the more severe of which could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page. The IE8 vulnerability does not affect Windows 7 RC (build 7100), but does affect Windows 7 beta.
The updates also plug two critical holes in implementations of Active Directory on Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, and Active Directory Application Mode installed on Windows XP Professional and Server 2003, the worse of which could allow an attacker to take control of a system remotely.
The security update fixes three critical vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler that could allow remote code execution if an affected server received a specially crafted RPC (remote procedure call) request.
Several vulnerabilities in Office Word and Excel are addressed in the update that could allow an attacker to remotely run code or take control of the machine using a specially crafted Word or Excel file. The update fixes the PowerPoint vulnerability Microsoft warned in April was being exploited in limited, targeted attacks that was fixed in the Windows version last month.
The update includes a patch for an important hole in its IIS Web server product that Microsoft reported in May.
"We didn't see any in-the-wild exploitations of the (IIS WebDav) vulnerability but typically when Microsoft releases those alerts they're doing it because a customer" has alerted them to an exploit, said Steve Manzuik, senior manager of security research at Juniper Networks.
Also fixed is a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Works Converters, important vulnerabilities in RPC and Windows Kernel. And Microsoft fixed a moderate vulnerability in Windows Search that could allow information disclosure if a user performs a search that returns a specially crafted file as the first result, or if the user previews a malicious file from the search results. By default, the Windows Search component is not preinstalled on Windows XP and Server 2003.
Products affected by the updates include Windows 2000, XP, XP Professional edition, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008; Office 2000, 2003, 2007, and XP; and Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for the Mac.
Other affected software includes Office Excel Viewer; Office Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats; Works 8.5 and 9.0; and Office SharePoint Server.
The updates did not include a fix for a vulnerability in Microsoft's DirectX streaming media technology in Windows disclosed late last month that could allow someone to take complete control of a computer using a maliciously crafted QuickTime file.
"They probably didn't have time to QA (quality assurance test) it adequately," said Wolfgang Kandek, chief technology officer at Qualys. "It doesn't surprise me because look at how many vulnerabilities they had in this release. It must have been an enormous workload for these teams to fix all of these."
Adobe also issued security updates for Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x for Windows and Macintosh on Tuesday in its first quarterly security update for its popular software for creating and reading PDF files.
The updates, available from Adobe's site, resolve critical vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader 9.1.1 and Acrobat 9.1.1 and earlier versions that could cause the application to crash and could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the system.
Updated 3:30 p.m. PDT with Adobe update due on Tuesday.
Microsoft will release 10 security updates on Patch Tuesday next week, including critical patches for holes in Windows, Internet Explorer, Word, Office, and Excel.
In addition, Adobe said it will provide security updates for Adobe Reader and Acrobat versions 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x for Windows and Macintosh on Tuesday in its first quarterly security update for its popular software for creating and reading PDF files. The critical update will be detailed on Adobe's security bulletin site.
Meanwhile, the six critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft software could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on a machine, according to the Microsoft security bulletin issued on Thursday.
Three important vulnerabilities in Windows could allow an attacker to elevate privileges and one moderate vulnerability in Windows could enable information disclosure.
Affected products include Windows 2000, XP, XP Professional edition, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008; Office 2000, 2003, 2007, and XP; and Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 for the Mac.
Other affected software includes Office Excel Viewer; Office Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats; Works 8.5 and 9.0; and Office SharePoint Server.
It's likely the PowerPoint vulnerability is the same one that Microsoft warned about in April and fixed in the Windows version last month.
Missing from the list of patches is one disclosed by Microsoft in its DirectX streaming media technology in Windows last week that could allow someone to take complete control of a computer using a maliciously crafted QuickTime file.
Microsoft on Tuesday released a patch aimed to fix a critical vulnerability in PowerPoint that had already led to exploits.
The vulnerability is listed as critical for Office 2000, but rated only as important for Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007. However, the hole had already formed the basis of targeted attacks, prompting Microsoft to issue a warning last month.
Although Microsoft says the hole is now patched in the Windows version of PowerPoint, the software maker said it is still working on fixes for the Mac version of Office as well as for Microsoft Works, the company's entry-level productivity suite.
"The updates for Office for Mac and Microsoft Works 8.5 and 9.0 users are still in development," Microsoft security response communications lead Christopher Budd said in a statement. "Microsoft plans to issue updates for these software when testing is complete and we can ensure high quality. We are releasing this security update on an incremental basis because of active targeted exploitation toward Windows platform users."
Without the patch, the vulnerability can be exploited by getting a person to open a PowerPoint file rigged for the attack, Microsoft has said. When the file is opened, PowerPoint will access an invalid object in memory. That then allows an attacker to remotely execute code on the system.
The fix was released as part of the company's regularly scheduled monthly Patch Tuesday.
The software maker said that with the update, the ability to open PowerPoint 4.0 file formats will be disabled by default in Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002. (Microsoft has already disabled that option by default in PowerPoint 2003 Service Pack 3 and that capability does not exist in PowerPoint 2007.)
Microsoft said that the vulnerability is not rated critical for PowerPoint 2002 and later versions because they prompt a user before opening a document, meaning that the vulnerability "requires more than a single user action to complete the exploit."
Symantec said in a statement that the PowerPoint fix related largely to flaws in older file formats. "Because taking advantage of these vulnerabilities requires a user to open a maliciously crafted PowerPoint file, e-mail is likely the most probable method attackers would use to try and exploit these," said Alfred Huger, vice president of Symantec Security Response, in a statement. "Another possibility is for an attacker to lure a victim into downloading the file from a misleading or compromised Web site. At that point, the attacker would then have complete control over everything the user's account has permission to do on the system."
One security analyst warned that corporate IT staff should be paying attention not just to Microsoft, but also to a variety of security updates being issued by other software makers.
"Although Microsoft only dropped one patch for PowerPoint this month, IT administrators shouldn't get the wrong impression and breathe easy given the light load," said Lumension security analyst Paul Henry. "In addition to Microsoft, other vendors including Google, F-Secure, Adobe, HP, Symantec and Mozilla (to name a few) released a slew of patches for popular software applications."
Henry posted a list of the other updates and blogged on the subject.
"It is important to remember that historically, popular applications and files like Adobe PDF files or Word, Excel or PowerPoint files have been great vehicles for targeted attacks because those attachments are so socially acceptable and are simply expected attachments within corporate email," Henry said. "While we are relieved about the PowerPoint patch, we live in an environment where compromised applications have now become a delivery mechanism for additional downloaded and executed malware such as key-loggers and rootkits. The most effective risk mitigation, therefore, continues to be application control to prevent a compromised application from downloading and running any unauthorized software (including malware) on a user's PC."
Microsoft will issue a patch on Tuesday to fix a critical vulnerability in PowerPoint that could be the same hole that has been exploited in limited and targeted attacks.
The vulnerability affects Microsoft Office 2000, 2003, 2007 and XP, as well as PowerPoint Viewer and Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats, according to an advance notification released on Thursday.
In a security advisory in early April, Microsoft warned about a vulnerability in PowerPoint that had been targeted by attacks that were tailored and not widespread.
That vulnerability could be exploited by getting a person to open a PowerPoint file rigged for the attack, the company said. When the file is opened, PowerPoint will access an invalid object in memory. That then allows an attacker to remotely execute code on the system.
Hackers have launched attacks targeting an unpatched flaw in Microsoft PowerPoint, the company warned Thursday.
The vulnerability, which affects Microsoft Office 2000 SP3, 2002 SP3, and 2003 SP3, can be exploited by getting a person to open a PowerPoint file rigged for the attack. When the file is opened, PowerPoint will access an invalid object in memory. That then allows an attacker to remotely execute code on the system.
In a security advisory, Microsoft said that at present, attacks are not widespread but are tailored to affect specific victims.
"Microsoft is investigating new reports of a vulnerability in Microsoft Office PowerPoint that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted PowerPoint file," said the advisory. "At this time, we are aware only of limited and targeted attacks that attempt to use this vulnerability."
While there is currently no fix for the PowerPoint flaw, Microsoft said that it may release one outside its monthly patching schedule. Workarounds suggested by the company include not opening files received from untrusted sources, using the Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE) to open untrusted files, and using Microsoft Office File Block policy to restrict the opening of Office 2003 and earlier documents.
Microsoft's last major PowerPoint patches were released in August.
Tom Espiner of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Microsoft on Tuesday released its August 2008 security bulletin. Bulletins rated "critical" concern Microsoft Access 2003 and earlier; Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003; Microsoft Excel; and Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003. A cumulative patch for Internet Explorer also is rated critical.
"Important" bulletins affect Windows Internet Protocol Security (IPsec); Outlook Express and Windows Mail; Microsoft Windows Event System; Windows Messenger; and Microsoft PowerPoint. All Microsoft security patches for both Windows and Office software are available via Microsoft Update or via the individual bulletins detailed below.
Titled "Vulnerability in the ActiveX Control for the Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft Access Could Allow Remote Code Execution (955617)." This bulletin affects Snapshot Viewer for Microsoft Access and for supported versions of Microsoft Office Access 2000, Microsoft Office Access 2002, and Microsoft Office Access 2003. This update addresses the vulnerability in CVE-2008-2463. Microsoft says that "an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user."
Titled "Vulnerability in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution (955048)." This bulletin only affects users of Microsoft Word 2002 and Microsoft Word 2003. The update addresses vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-2244. Microsoft says that "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."
Titled "Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (954066)." This bulletin affects users of Microsoft Office Excel 2000 Service Pack 3 and rated Important for Excel 2002 Service Pack 3, Excel 2003 Service Pack 2, Excel 2003 Service Pack 3, Excel Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003 Service Pack 3, Excel 2007, Excel 2007 Service Pack 1, 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 Office Excel Viewer, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The update addresses the issues detailed in CVE-2008-3003, CVE-2008-3004, CVE-2008-3005, CVE-2008-3006. Microsoft says that "an attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities 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."
Titled "Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office Filters Could Allow Remote Code Execution (924090)." This bulletin affects Microsoft Office 2000, and is "important" for supported editions of Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2, Microsoft Project 2002 Service Pack 1, Microsoft Office Converter Pack, and Microsoft Works 8. This update addresses the vulnerabilities detailed in CVE-2008-3018, CVE-2008-3019, CVE-2008-3021, CVE-2008-3022, and CVE 2008-3460. Microsoft says these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted image file when using Microsoft Office.
Titled " Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (953838)." This bulletin affects users of all supported releases of Internet Explorer. This update addresses the vulnerabilities detailed in CVE-2008-2254, CVE-2008-2255, CVE-2008-2256, CVE-2008-2257, CVE-2008-2258, and CVE-2008-2259. Microsoft says all of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer.
Titled " Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Image Color Management System Could Allow Remote Code Execution (952954)." This bulletin affects users of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-2245. Microsoft says a vulnerability in the Microsoft Image Color Management (ICM) system could allow remote code execution in the context of the current user. "If a user is 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."
Titled " Vulnerability in IPsec Policy Processing Could Allow Information Disclosure (953733)." This bulletin affects all supported versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-2246. Microsoft says the vulnerability could cause systems to ignore IPsec policies and transmit network traffic in clear text, disclosing information intended to be encrypted on the network. An attacker viewing the traffic on the network would be able to view and possibly modify the traffic. According to Microsoft: "Note that this vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights directly. It could be used to collect useful information to try to further compromise the affected system or network."
Titled "Security Update for Outlook Express and Windows Mail (951066)." This bulletin affects Windows XP and Windows Vista and is rated "low" for supported editions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-1448. Microsoft says this vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a user visits a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer.
Titled "Vulnerabilities in Event System Could Allow Remote Code Execution (950974)." This bulletin affects Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-1456 and CVE-2008-1457. Microsoft says that "an attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities 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 administrative rights."
Titled "Vulnerability in VBScript and JScript Scripting Engines Could Allow Remote Code Execution (944338)" This bulletin affects Windows Messenger 4.7 and Windows Messenger 5.1 and rated Important for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and Moderate for all supported versions of Windows Server 2003. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-0028. Microsoft says that "as a result of this vulnerability, scripting of an ActiveX control could allow information disclosure in the context of the logged-on user. An attacker could change state, get contact information, and initiate audio and video chat sessions without the knowledge of the logged-on user. An attacker could also capture the user's logon ID and remotely log on to the user's Messenger client impersonating that user."
Titled "Vulnerabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint Could Allow Remote Code Execution (949785)." This bulletin affects Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 and is rated "important" for supported editions of Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer 2003, Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. This update addresses the vulnerability detailed in CVE-2008-0120, CVE-2008-0121, and CVE-2008-1455. Microsoft says an attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities 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."
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