Microsoft · Office Compatibility Pack · CVE-2011-0978
**Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions**
Microsoft Excel versions 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2
Office 2004 for Mac
Excel Viewer version SP2
Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats version SP2
**Description**
A stack-based buffer overflow issue allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to an axis properties record and improper incrementing of an array index. This issue can be exploited by an attacker who successfully crafts a specially formatted Excel file, potentially allowing the attacker to take complete control of an affected system, install programs, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts with full user rights.
**Recommendations**
For Microsoft Excel versions 2002 SP3, 2003 SP3, and 2007 SP2, update to a newer version to mitigate the risk.
For Office 2004 for Mac, update to a newer version to mitigate the risk.
For Excel Viewer version SP2, update to a newer version to mitigate the risk.
For Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats version SP2, update to a newer version to mitigate the risk.
As a temporary workaround, consider avoiding the use of specially crafted Excel files that could trigger the axis properties record parsing issue until a patch is available.