Description of the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 update

Microsoft has released security bulletin MS09-009. This security bulletin contains all the relevant information about the security updates for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. To view the complete security bulletin, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Update details

The Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 update contains changes that improve security and performance. This update also includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of a computer's memory by using malicious code.

Improvements that are included in the update

The Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 update includes the following improvements.

Improvements for all Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac applications

• Security is improved.
  This update fixes vulnerabilities in Office 2008 that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory by using malicious code. For more information, see the security bulletin that is mentioned in the "Introduction" section.

Previously released improvements included in this update

This update includes all the improvements that were released in all previous Office 2008 updates. For more information about the improvements in previous updates, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the improvements in the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.4 update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Prerequisites

Before you install the Office 2008 12.1.7 update, make sure that the computer is running Mac OS X 10.4.9 (Tiger) or a later version of the Mac OS X operating system.

To verify that the computer meets this prerequisite, click About This Mac on the Apple menu.

Additionally, one of the following updates must be installed on the computer before you install the Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 update:

• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.0 update
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.1 update
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.2 update
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.3 update
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.4 update
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.5 update

To verify that one of these updates is installed, follow these steps:

1. On the Go menu, click Applications.
2. Open the Microsoft Office 2008 folder, and then start any Office application. For example, start Word.
3. On the Word menu, click About Word.
4. In the About Word dialog box, verify the version number next to Latest Installed Update.

How to obtain the update

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
Download the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.7 Update package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f6e407eb-11a5-433f-8006-4b822953ca98)
For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Updated files

For a complete list of the files that this update adds or changes, double-click the update installer, and then click Show Files on the File menu.

Note The Office 2008 12.1.7 update is also available from Microsoft AutoUpdate. AutoUpdate is a program that automatically keeps Microsoft software up-to-date. To use AutoUpdate, start a Microsoft Office program. Then, on the Help menu, click Check for Updates.

For more information about resources for Office 2008 for Mac, visit the following Microsoft Web site: