Description of the security update for Excel 2013: March 13, 2018

This security update contains improvements and fixes for the following nonsecurity issues:

Improvements 

• A new registry key has been added to provide more control over object macros security. The "RestrictObjectMacros" DWORD registry key under HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Office/15.0/Excel/Security supports the following values:

  0 (or not present) – Default behavior
  1 – Strict
  2 – Lenient
  3 – None (not recommended)

  Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Fixes

This security update also contains fixes for the following nonsecurity issues:

• For files that contain special characters in the worksheet names, you may experience file corruption issue on a round trip across some locales. Additionally, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

  Excel found unreadable content in 'FileName'. Do you want to recover the contents of this workbook? If you trust the source of this workbook, click Yes.

• Corrects the translation for following terms for different versions of Excel 2013:
  • The TRIM function in the Danish version.
  • The TRIM function in the Dutch version.
  • The Defer Layout Update check box for PowerPivot table in the Danish version.

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 Windows Update: FAQ.

Method 2: Microsoft Update Catalog

To get the stand-alone package for this update, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Method 3: 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.

• Download the security update KB4018291 for the 32-bit version of Excel 2013
• Download the security update KB4018291 for the 64-bit version of Excel 2013

Security update deployment information

For deployment information about this update, see security update deployment information: March 13, 2018.

Security update replacement information

This security update replaces previously released security update 4011639.

File hash information

File information

The English version of this security update has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.

Help for installing updates: Windows Update FAQ

Security solutions for IT professionals: Security Support and Troubleshooting

Help for protecting your Windows-based computer from viruses and malware: Microsoft Secure

Local support according to your country: International Support

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