Secunia Research has discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft PowerPoint, which can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a user's system.

The vulnerability is caused due to an array-indexing error in the Microsoft PowerPoint Freelance Windows 2.1 Translator (FL21WIN.DLL) when parsing layout information and can be exploited to cause a heap-based buffer overflow.

Successful exploitation allows execution of arbitrary code.

NOTE: On systems with MS09-017 applied, support for Freelance files is disabled by default, but can be re-enabled via a key in the registry.

Solution
Microsoft states that no fix will be issued. However, installations with MS09-017 applied block opening of Freelance files by default.
Further details available to Secunia VIM customers

Provided and/or discovered by
Carsten Eiram, Secunia Research.

Original Advisory
Secunia Research:
http://secunia.com/secunia_research/2009-29/

Deep Links
Links available to Secunia VIM customers