M$ Releases 4 New Patches

FYI on new Microsoft patches affecting IE, Word, Excel, Frontpage, and Workstation Service Server Extensions (not even sure what these are!)

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MS03-048 : Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (824145)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...n/MS03-048.asp
Affected Software:
Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
Microsoft Windows NT® Workstation 4.0 Service Pack 6a
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition, Service Pack 6
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3, Service Pack 4
Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1
Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003
Microsoft Windows Server® 2003
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, 64-Bit Edition

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MS03-049 : Buffer Overrun in the Workstation Service Could Allow Code Execution (828749)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...n/MS03-049.asp

Affected Software:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3, Service Pack 4 – Download the update
Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 – Download the update
Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition – Download the update
Note: The Windows XP security updates that released on October 15th as part of Security Bulletin MS03-043 (828035) include the updated file that helps protect from this vulnerability. If you have applied the Windows XP security updates for MS03-043 (828035) you do not have to reapply this update. However, the Windows 2000 security update that is released as part of this security bulletin contains updated files that were not part of the MS03-043 (828035) security bulletin. Customers have to apply this Windows 2000 security update even if they applied the Windows 2000 security updates for MS03-043 (828035).

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MS03-050 : Vulnerability in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel Could Allow Arbitary Code to run. (831527)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...n/MS03-050.asp

Affected Software:
Microsoft Excel 97 - Download the update
Microsoft Excel 2000 - Download the update
Microsoft Excel 2002 - Download the update
Microsoft Word 97 - Download the update
Microsoft Word 98(J) - Download the update
Microsoft Word 2000 and Microsoft Works Suite 2001 - Download the update
Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Works Suite 2002, Microsoft Works Suite 2003, and Microsoft Works Suite 2004 - Download the update

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MS03-051 : Buffer Overrun in Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions Could Allow Code Execution (813360)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...n/MS03-051.asp
Affected Software:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3
Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1
Microsoft Office XP, Microsoft Office XP Service Release 1

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Happy patching...I know I will be having some fun :( !

One of yesterday's patches, MS02-050, was re-issued today:


Reason for Revision:
====================
Microsoft re-issued this security bulletin on November 11, 2003 to
advise on the availability of an updated Microsoft Windows 2000
Service Pack 4 (SP4) security patch. This revised security patch
corrects a regression that may occur during the installation of
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 Service Pack 1 on Windows 2000 SP4.
This regression removes the update that is discussed in this bulletin
and that is provided as part of Windows 2000 SP4. Customers who are
using Windows 2000 SP4 and then installed Internet Explorer 6.0
Service Pack 1 should apply the updated Windows 2000 SP4 security
patch to help protect from this vulnerability.

Issue:
======
The vulnerability identified in the original version of the bulletin
could enable an attacker who had a valid end-entity certificate to
issue a subordinate certificate that, although bogus, would
nevertheless pass validation. Because CryptoAPI is used by a wide
range of applications, this could enable a variety of identity
spoofing attacks.

Mitigating Factors:
====================
* The user could always manually check a certificate chain, and
might notice in the case of a spoofed chain that there was an
unfamiliar intermediate CA.
* Unless the attacker's digital certificates were issued by a CA
in the user's trust list, the certificate would generate a
warning when validated.
* The attacker could only spoof certificates of the same type as
the one he or she possessed. In the case where the attacker
attempted an attack using a high-value certificate such as
Authenticode certificates, this would necessitate obtaining a
legitimate certificate of the same type - which could require
the attacker to prove his or her identity or entitlement to the
issuing CA.

Risk Rating:
============
- Important

Patch Availability:
===================
- A patch is available to fix this vulnerability. Please read the
Security Bulletin at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...n/MS02-050.asp
for information on obtaining this patch.