XL97: Patch Available for Excel 97 Virus Warning Vulnerabilities (231304)

SUMMARY

Microsoft has released a patch for Microsoft Excel 97 SR-2 that fixes a vulnerability to its Macro Virus Warning. To correct this problem, download and install the latest update for Excel 97. The latest update includes this and all other Excel-specific updates that have been released since the latest service release (SR) of Office. The files included in this update will be included in any later SR or patch. To upgrade to the latest patch or for more information about the history of Excel 97 patches, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

232652 XL97: Overview and History of Excel Patches

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Excel 97 provides a feature that displays a warning message when you try to start an external file that possibly contains a macro virus and allows you to decide whether or not to run them. However, certain situations have been identified that could bypass the warning mechanism. These situations exploit infrequently used features and commands, unlikely to be encountered during normal use of Excel.

NOTE: This problem does not exist in Microsoft Excel 2000. These fixes are included in Excel 2000, so users of that product do not need to download this patch.

How Does the Patch Work?

After you install the Excel Security Patch, no prompts or alerts appear notifying you of the patch when you run Excel. Everything appears and functions normally. However, when you attempt to start macros in an external file, you are prompted with the macro virus warning.