Patch Issued for OpenOffice.org WMF Vulnerability

A patch has been widely released for a vulnerability in the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, a problem rated as “highly critical” by one security vendor.

The flaw could be exploited by creating a malicious file in the Windows Metafile (WMF) or Enhanced Metafile (EMF) formats. If the file were opened by a user, it could start running unauthorized code on a computer, according to an advisory by Linux distribution vendor Red Hat, which offers the OpenOffice suite with several of its products.

OpenOffice.org is a free software suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet and a presentation program. It’s a competitor to Microsoft’s Office suite, although it’s not as widely used.

OpenOffice.org has published a patch, which in turn is being distributed by Red Hat.

The problem was first reported in October, but the vendors who distribute OpenOffice—who often work together on security issues—opted not to issue the patch until OpenOffice.org acknowledged earlier this week it was a security issue, said Mark Cox, director of Red Hat’s Security Response Team.

No public exploits or even proof-of-concept code has been discovered, he added.

Red Hat rated the flaw as only “important,” since a user would have to open a malicious file, Cox said. Red Hat users will either receive an update automatically or notification to upgrade their software, he added.

Secunia, however, rated the vulnerability as “highly critical,” a rank of “four” on a five-number scale of increasing severity.

The WMF format proved problematic for OpenOffice.org’s rival in 2006. After pressure from its customers, Microsoft issued an out-of-cycle patch early last year for its operating systems after widespread attempts to exploit a WMF vulnerability. The flaw—one of the top security problems of 2006—also left Windows systems vulnerable to running code if a malicious WMF was opened.

–Jeremy Kirk

IDG News Service (London Bureau)

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