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Update Protection against Microsoft Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability (MS08-014)

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Check Point Reference: CPAI-2008-042
Date Published:
Severity:
Last Updated:
Source: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-014
Industry Reference(s): CVE-2008-0115
Protection Provided by: VPN-1
  • NGX R65
  • NGX R62
  • NGX R61
  • NGX R60
Who is Vulnerable?
Microsoft Office 2000 SP3
Microsoft Office XP SP3
Microsoft Office 2003 SP2
2007 Microsoft Office System
Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003
Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac
Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
Vulnerability Description
A remote code execution vulnerability has been identified in Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet application. A remote attacker could exploit this issue via a malformed Excel file. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may allow execution of arbitrary code on a target system.
Update/Patch Available
Apply patches:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-014
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability is due to a memory calculation error in Microsoft Excel when parsing formula information in malformed Excel files. An attacker can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system via a specially crafted Excel file.

Protection Overview
By enabling this protection, SmartDefense will detect and block the transferring of malformed Excel files over HTTP.

In order for the protection to be activated, update your VPN-1 product to the latest SmartDefense update. For information on how to update SmartDefense, go to SBP-2006-05, Protection tab and select the version of your choice.

To configure the defense, select your product from the list below and follow the related protection steps.

VPN-1 NGX R65 & R62

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the SmartDefense tab, click Application Intelligence > Content Protection > Block Microsoft Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability (MS08-014).
2. In the configuration pane, under Settings > Mode, check Active.
3. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries:

Attack Name: Content Protection Violation
Attack Information: Microsoft Excel formula parsing vulnerability detected (MS08-014)

VPN-1 NGX R61 & R60

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the SmartDefense tree, click Application Intelligence > Content Protection.
2. Select the following:

Block Microsoft Excel Formula Parsing Vulnerability (MS08-014)

3. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries:

Attack Name: Content Protection Violation
Attack Information: Microsoft Excel formula parsing vulnerability detected (MS08-014)