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January 2007 security updates for Microsoft Office

What Office patches does Microsoft has to start the year?

iCal vulnerability



  • Outlook 2003

  • Outlook 2002 (XP)

  • Outlook 2000

A maliciously created .ICS or iCal calendar file could bypass protections and run code on your computer. Outlook 2007 is specifically EXcluded from this security problem.

This page has some details and links to the patches for each version of Outlook. The patches require the latest service packs to be installed first.


Excel vulnerability



  • Excel 2000

  • Excel 2002 (XP)

  • Excel 2003

  • plus the Works Suite 2004 and 2005 editions.

  • Excel Viewer 2003

  • Excel 2004 for Mac

  • Excel v. X for Mac

Various maliciously formed files and records can allow code to be run on your computer. Excel 2007 and Works Suite 2006 are specifically EXcluded from this security problem.

This page has some details and links to the patches for each version of Excel. The patches require the latest service packs to be installed first.


Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Checker

Any variant on Office 2003 which has the Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Checker is affected. Office 2003 (Brazilian Portuguese Version) obviously but also any place that has the Multilingual User Interface pack for Office, Project or Visio plus the Office Proofing Tools 2003.

Amazingly a file could be made to run code on your computer, the grammar checker has a bug which allows code execution when it tries to check the new text.

This page has the full list of affected programs plus the links to the appropriate patches.

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