Description of the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.4 Update

Microsoft has released security bulletin MS10-017. 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:

This update improves security. It includes fixes for vulnerabilities that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code. In addition, this update contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance.

Improvements that are included in the update

The Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.4 Update includes the following improvements.

Improvements for all Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac applications

• Helps improve security.
  This update fixes vulnerabilities in Office 2008 that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code. For more information, see the security bulletin that is listed earlier in this document.

Improvements for Microsoft Excel 2008 for Mac

• Stability is improved. 
  This update fixes an issue that could cause Excel to close unexpectedly in the following scenarios:
  • Corrupted fonts are present.
  • You insert a row or value into a calculated column.
  • You drag the scroll bar when Excel is displaying trendlines.
• Performance is improved.
  This update fixes an issue that causes slow performance with certain printer drivers in Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
• Imported content from a text file is formatted correctly.
  This update fixes an issue in which multiple line values in a single cell appear in separate rows when you save the contents as a text file and then open the file in Excel.

Before you install the Office 2008 12.2.4 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, you must install the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.3 Update or later versions before you install the Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.4 Update. 

To verify the update that is installed on your computer, follow these steps:

1. On the Go menu, click Applications.
2. Open the Microsoft Office 2008 folder, and then open any Office application. For example, open Microsoft Word.
3. On the Word menu, click About Word.
4. In the About Word dialog box, compare the version number next to Latest Installed Updateto the version number that is a prerequisite.

How to obtain the update

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:


Download the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.4 Update package now.

Release Date: March 9, 2010

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 on the File menu, click Show Files. 

Notes

• The Office 2008 12.2.4 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:
  http://www.microsoft.com/mac