Microsoft Visio CVE-2011-1972 Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Description

Microsoft Visio is prone to a remote code-execution vulnerability. Attackers can exploit this issue to execute arbitrary code in the context of the user running the affected application. Failed exploit attempts will result in a denial-of-service condition.

Technologies Affected

• Microsoft Visio 2003 SP1
• Microsoft Visio 2003
• Microsoft Visio 2003 Professional
• Microsoft Visio 2003 SP2
• Microsoft Visio 2003 SP3
• Microsoft Visio 2003 Standard
• Microsoft Visio 2007
• Microsoft Visio 2007 SP1
• Microsoft Visio 2007 SP2
• Microsoft Visio 2010
• Microsoft Visio 2010 SP1

Recommendations

Run all software as a nonprivileged user with minimal access rights.
To reduce the impact of latent vulnerabilities, always run nonadministrative software as an unprivileged user with minimal access rights.

Do not accept or execute files from untrusted or unknown sources.
To reduce the likelihood of successful exploits, never handle files that originate from unfamiliar or untrusted sources.

Implement multiple redundant layers of security.
Since this issue may be leveraged to execute code, we recommend memory-protection schemes, such as nonexecutable stack/heap configurations and randomly mapped memory segments. This tactic may complicate exploit attempts of memory-corruption vulnerabilities.

The vendor has released an advisory and fixes. Please see the references for more information.