Microsoft fixes 14 PowerPoint security issues

Microsoft released an update that resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability and several privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office PowerPoint that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted PowerPoint file.

An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. He could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying the way that PowerPoint handles conditions that could cause memory corruption when opening specially crafted PowerPoint files.

This update also addresses the vulnerabilities by preventing Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2000 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2002 from opening PowerPoint 4.0 native file formats.