Effects
MS08-017 is not categorized as virus, worm, Trojan or backdoor. It is a group of critical vulnerabilities in Office Web Components 2000, which allows arbitrary code to be remotely executed in the vulnerable computer.
Office Web Components are a collection of Component Object Model (COM) controls for publishing spreadsheets, charts and databases to the web, and for viewing the published components on the web.
The affected software is:
- Office XP SP3 and 2000 SP3.
- Visual Studio .NET 2003 SP1 and Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1.
- BizTalk Server 2002 and BizTalk Server 2000.
- Commerce Server 2000.
- Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 SP2.
The addressed vulnerabilities are the following:
- Office Web Components URL Parsing vulnerability: this vulnerability is due to an error in parsing a specially crafted execution command.
- Office Web Components DataSource vulnerability: it is due to the way in which Office Web Components manage memory resources.
If exploited successfully, MS08-017 allows hackers to gain remote control of the affected computer with the same privileges as the logged on user. If this user had administrator rights, the hacker could take complete control of the system: create, modify or delete files, install programs, create new user accounts, etc.
This vulnerability is usually exploited by creating a specially crafted website and enticing users into visiting it by sending them a link via email or instant messaging programs.
If you have Office Web Components 2000 installed in your computer, it is recommended to download and apply the security patch for this vulnerability. Click here to access the web page for downloading the patch.