Microsoft warns of new Word attack
557341
(InfoWorld) - There's now one more reason to be careful about opening Microsoft Office attachments. Microsoft warned Tuesday of a new, unpatched memory corruption error in its word-processing software, and said that it was investigating reports of "limited" attacks that exploit the problem. The bug can be exploited by adding a string of characters in a Word file that can corrupt the PC's memory and allow the attacker to run unauthorized software on the system, Microsoft wrote in a security advisory . The bug affects many versions of the software, including Word 2000, 2002, and 2003, the Word Viewer 2003 and several versions of Microsoft Works. It is rated 'critical' by the FrSIRT Web site, which compiles a list of software vulnerabilities. As automatic security updates have become commonplace, attackers have focused more on developing attacks that leverage this kind of unpatched hole in the software, sometimes called 0day attacks. This trend has forced Microsoft to produce a growing number of software updates in recent months. In particular, hackers turned their attention to Microsoft's Office products, which some researchers consider to be a more fruitful source of bugs than the Windows operating system. "Cybercriminals know that 0days are very valuable and can be used to make lots of money," said Cesar Cerrudo, chief executive officer of security research firm Argeniss, in Parana, Argentina. These vulnerabilities can be exploited to install spyware or dangerous Trojan horse programs, or to add the victim's computer to a network of compromised PCs, called a botnet, which can then be used to send out spam or attack other systems, he said. Microsoft's next set of security updates is due to be released on December 12.
178790
Considered important vulnerabilities that leave users open to attack in Microsoft&#39;s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows for desktop and server installations, the Redmond
57262
A flaw in Microsoft Word 2000, and possibly Word 2002, could be used by hackers to crash PCs or run other code on the compromised machine.
316863
A security company warned on Thursday that a flaw in Microsoft Office could allow a denial-of-service attack to be executed on systems running somewhat older versions of the popular productivity suite.
150857
Microsoft describes unpatched flaw that could corrupt PC memory and allow intruders.
231302
A new variant of the MyDoom worm that exploits an unpatched flaw in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer (IE) browser is in the wild and posing particular risk to home and small business users, security experts warned this week.
647942
The effectiveness of a patch issued last September for a Microsoft Word vulnerability, where .DOC files opened in Word 2003 and earlier versions via Internet Explorer or Outlook could enable remote code execution, is being called into question today.
545850
Hackers are already exploiting a new vulnerability found in Microsoft's Word and Office applications, although the attacks appear to be limited.
197134
Internet security monitoring groups are warning Windows users about new Internet attacks aimed at a Windows Internet Naming Service vulnerability that was reported and patched by Microsoft in December.
22770
Unpatched Windows machines are vulnerable to latest adware attack
766773
(InfoWorld) - With its monthly security updates due out Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. has a new problem to worry about: Word flaws. The software vendor on Sunday confirmed a report that criminals are e-mailing maliciously crafted Word attachments to victims. While these attacks are not widespread, they are dangerous because the attacker could run unauthorized software on the victim's computer if the attachment is opened. This is the second such Word attack to be confirmed by Microsoft in the past week. Last Tuesday, MicrosoftÂ warned of a similar Word flaw, saying that it was aware of "limited attacks attempting to use the vulnerability." Over the past year, hackers have increasingly looked to Microsoft's Office suite as a source of new bugs. Attacks based on flaws in Excel and PowerPoint have been reported as well. Exploits of this latest flaw appear to be even rarer than those based on last week's Word bug. "The vulnerability is being exploited on a very, very limited and targeted basis," Microsoft said in its alert. Neither problem is expected to be fixed in Tuesday's software patches, which will address flaws in Windows and Visual Studio. This second bug affects Word 2000, 2002, 2003 and the Word Viewer 2003, which are all vulnerable to last week's bug as well. The most recent version of the software, Word 2007, which was released to business users in late November, is not affected, Microsoft said. Â
247227
Microsoft released a security bulletin yesterday alerting computer users of a critical flaw in software that processes JPEG images.
38095
Again, yesterday Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) warned about newly found security flaws in Windows that could allow an attacker to steal data on your PC.
710162
Security researchers warned Monday of a new worm, dubbed "Funner," targeting Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger IM (instant messaging) system.
655136
MS Office hijack hi-jinks An unpatched Microsoft Word 2000 vulnerability is being actively exploited by hackers to spread malware.â¦
39329
Microsoft will issue six security patches next Tuesday, of which at least two will have a rating of critical. Missing from this list is a patch for a recently discovered zero-day flaw in Word: no updates are scheduled for the Office suite.
689953
A recently detected exploit code foreshadows a likely worm-style attack on Windows machines plagued with the JPEG vulnerability made public last week, security experts said Thursday.