Microsoft's Office software is under attack again, this time with an unpatched flaw in the Windows 2000 version of Office 2000 being used by hackers to run unauthorized software on a victim's computer.
Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that the bug exists, but it would not say when it plans to fix the problem.
The critical vulnerability was first reported by Symantec to users of its DeepSight threat notification service. Attackers are exploiting the flaw by sending malicious Word documents to victims, Symantec said. When these documents are opened, Word is tricked into installing malicious software on the PC.
Symantec is calling this malware Trojan.MDropper.
Trojan.MDropper installs malicious software on the computer, which in turn installs another Trojan horse program "which turns out to be new variant of Backdoor.Femo," Symantec said in an Web posting.
Symantec testers had not been able to exploit the problem on more up-to-date versions of Office or Windows. On Tuesday Microsoft said that the bug was confined to Microsoft Word 2000.
Microsoft is investigating the issue and may issue a patch once that investigation is completed, according to the company's public relations agency.
Microsoft has spent a lot of time investigating and patching Office applications this year. Over the past few months there have been several reports concerning very targeted attacks, similar to this latest Office issue. Microsoft's last few security updates have been filled with patches for Office flaws, many of which had already been used in attacks.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Applications Resource Alerts
Recommend This
