VUPEN Security Research - Microsoft Office Publisher Memory Corruption Vulnerability (VUPEN-SR-2010-041) http://www.vupen.com/english/research.php I. BACKGROUND --------------------- "Microsoft Publisher, is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft. It is an entry-level application, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and design rather than text composition and proofing." from wikipedia.org II. DESCRIPTION --------------------- VUPEN Vulnerability Research Team discovered a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Office Publisher. The vulnerability is caused by a memory corruption error when handling malformed Publisher documents, which could be exploited by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a malicious PUB file. Note: The Publisher file format is not publicly documented. III. AFFECTED PRODUCTS --------------------------- Microsoft Publisher 2010 (32-bit editions) Microsoft Publisher 2010 (64-bit editions) Microsoft Publisher 2003 Service Pack 3 Microsoft Publisher 2002 Service Pack 3 IV. Binary Analysis & Exploits/PoCs --------------------------------------- In-depth binary analysis of the vulnerability and a code execution exploit or proof-of-concept are available through the VUPEN Binary Analysis & Exploits Service : http://www.vupen.com/english/services/ba-index.php V. VUPEN Threat Protection Program ----------------------------------- Organizations and corporations which are members of the VUPEN Threat Protection Program (TPP) have been alerted about the vulnerability when it was discovered by VUPEN, and have received a detailed detection guidance to proactively protect national and critical infrastructures against potential attacks exploiting this vulnerability: http://www.vupen.com/english/services/tpp-index.php VI. SOLUTION ---------------- Apply MS10-103 security updates. VII. CREDIT -------------- This vulnerability was discovered by Chaouki Bekrar of VUPEN Security VIII. ABOUT VUPEN Security --------------------------- VUPEN is a leading IT security research company providing vulnerability management and security intelligence solutions which enable enterprises and institutions to eliminate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, ensure security policy compliance and meaningfully measure and manage risks. Governmental and federal agencies, and global enterprises in the financial services, insurance, manufacturing and technology industries rely on VUPEN to improve their security, prioritize resources, cut time and costs, and stay ahead of the latest threats. * VUPEN Vulnerability Notification Service (VNS) : http://www.vupen.com/english/services/vns-index.php * VUPEN Binary Analysis & Exploits Service (BAE) : http://www.vupen.com/english/services/ba-index.php * VUPEN Threat Protection Program for Govs (TPP) : http://www.vupen.com/english/services/tpp-index.php * VUPEN Web Application Security Scanner (WASS) : http://www.vupen.com/english/services/wass-index.php IX. REFERENCES ---------------------- http://www.vupen.com/english/research-vuln.php http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms10-103.mspx http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-3954 X. DISCLOSURE TIMELINE ----------------------------- 2010-03-18 - Vendor notified 2010-03-18 - Vendor response 2010-12-08 - Status update received 2010-12-14 - Coordinated disclosure