Security Update for Excel 2000 (KB873372)

Brief Description

A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft Excel that could allow arbitrary code to run when opening a maliciously modified spreadsheet. This update resolves this vulnerability so that Excel spreadsheets are handled appropriately.

Overview

This vulnerability exists because of a problem in the way Excel interprets data from a spreadsheet where certain properties have been maliciously modified. If successfully exploited, an attacker could craft a malicious spreadsheet that could cause code of the attacker’s choice to be executed automatically upon opening the maliciously modified spreadsheet. You can get specific information about this update in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Description of the Security Update for Excel 2000 (KB873372).

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System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000; Windows 95; Windows 98; Windows ME; Windows NT; Windows Server 2003; Windows XP

This update applies to the following products:
- Microsoft Excel 2000
- Microsoft Excel 2000 South Asian Edition

To install the update, you must have the following:

Office 2000 Service Pack 3

Microsoft Windows Installer version 2.0 or later. Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Windows XP include this version of the Windows Installer. Otherwise, the latest version of Windows Installer is available as a separate download at the following locations:

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Instructions

Note: Administrators should refer to the Administrator resources section.

Installation instructions
If you have any of the affected products, do one of the following:

Use Office Update on the Office Online Web site (recommended). Office Update automatically detects Office and prompts you to install updates and service packs that bring Office programs up-to-date.

Install only Security Update for Excel 2000 (KB873372). To do this, follow these steps:

Download one of the two .exe files by using the links at the bottom of the page, and then save the file to your hard disk drive.
- office2000-kb873372-client-enu.exe: You should download this file if you have access to your original product CD-ROM. You might need to provide the installation source during patch installation if you have previously updated your product.
- office2000-kb873372-fullfile-enu.exe: Download this file if you have experienced problems installing the office2000-kb873372-client-enu.exe. You may still be required to provide the installation source during patch installation.
It is recommended that you quit any programs you are running.

In Windows Explorer, double-click the .exe file that you saved to your hard disk drive, and follow the instructions on the screen.

Administrator resources
Administrators working in managed environments can find complete resources for deploying Office updates in an organization on the Office Admin Update Center. On the home page of that site, look under Update Strategies section for the product version you are updating.

The downloads for this update are under the Files in this Download section below. You can double-click the executable package to begin installation, or extract the patch files (MSP files) by using a command line. The command line and instructions are included in the Knowledge Base article (197147): Command-Line Switches For IExpress Software Update Packages.

See the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Description of the Security Update for Excel 2000 (KB873372) for further information about this update.

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