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MS16-088: Description of the security update for Excel 2016: July 12, 2016


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Summary

This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Office file. To learn more about these vulnerabilities, see Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-088.

Note To apply this security update, you must have the release version of Excel 2016 installed on the computer.

For a complete list of affected versions of Microsoft Office software, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB3170008.



Note This security update changes the behavior of Excel add-ins and files that contain HTML content. For more information, see the More information section.




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Improvements and fixes

This security update contains improvements and fixes for the following nonsecurity issues:
  • This update includes some updates for the Get & Transform features. For more information, see KB3115185.
  • This update includes some new and improved data connectivity and transform features. For more information, see KB3115250.
  • Performance is slow when you select a same worksheet repeatedly in VBA macro.
  • When you open an XLAM file from OneDrive without an active workbook in Excel 2016, Excel 2016 may crash.

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How to get and install the update

Method 1: Microsoft Update

This update is available from Microsoft Update. When you turn on automatic updating, this update will be downloaded and installed automatically. For more information about how to get security updates automatically, see the "Turn on automatic updating in Control Panel" section of this Safety & Security Center article.

Method 2: Microsoft Download Center

You can get the stand-alone update package through the Microsoft Download Center. Follow the installation instructions on the download page to install the update.

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More Information

This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Office file. One change that's included in this update applies to how Excel handles documents that are opened from untrusted locations that are not supported in Protected View. These include untrusted Excel add-ins (.xla or .xlam) and HTML content (.htm or .html, including those documents that are renamed with an .xls extension). Previously, these files bypassed Protected View when opened. This could lead to a security vulnerability. This security update now blocks these files from being opened from untrusted locations. This security update may break compatibility with existing solutions. To work around these issues, users have to manually trust the file before they open it in Excel. 

For more information about Office trusted locations and how to trust a file, see the following Microsoft webpage: Alternatively, follow these steps to manually unblock an Excel add-in (.xla or .xlam).

Note This action cannot be undone.
  1. Locate the .xla or .xlam file in File Explorer.
  2. Right-click the file, and then click Properties.
  3. Click the General tab, and then in the Security area, select the Unblock check box.
  4. Click Apply, and then click OK.
After you do this, the Excel add-in will be available and appear as expected.



Important We do not recommend that you uninstall any security update. Doing so will leave your system vulnerable.

The Office security team is considering changes in future updates to preserve security and to help customers resolve any workflow issues that are caused by this security update. For more information, see the following Excel Support team blog:

Security update deployment information

For deployment information about this update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB3170008.

Security update replacement information

This security update replaces previously released security update KB3114964.

File hash information

Package NamePackage Hash SHA 1Package Hash SHA 2
excel2016-kb3115272-fullfile-x86-glb.exeD9F4364236A08396BC89324A5F4FFFDF763CB70067D298E71D8EACD2A0DE5D615800CB789C96F7E8BCB81169824BF0AAF1C2A532
excel2016-kb3115272-fullfile-x64-glb.exe4F2D667E6D98DEDA975EAFE5F101004568F6419AD67166480957FD9CF4A3EE49E23AC1A87FBBDE09AD9F23031E7053105637DDE3
File information
How to get help and support for this security update

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Keywords: kbbug, kbfix, kbsurveynew, kbexpertiseinter, kbsecreview, kbsecvulnerability, atdownload, kbmustloc, kblangall, kbsecurity, kb, kbsecbulletin

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Article Info
Article ID : 3115272
Revision : 4
Created on : 4/13/2020
Published on : 4/16/2020
Exists online : False
Views : 336