The software giant announced that it will rapidly release a patch for a newly discovered vulnerability in Microsoft Word, following its exploitation in a series of sophisticated online attacks.
Microsoft plans to release the patch on June 13, or possibly sooner depending on the specific circumstances. This vulnerability affects all users of Word XP and Word 2003.
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The vulnerability in Word 2003 is being exploited for widespread phishing attacks. Source: Amazon |
In the meantime, users are advised to run Word in “Safe Mode” to mitigate the risk of their systems being exploited by hackers.
This urgent statement from Microsoft comes after multiple security firms reported detecting widespread phishing attacks targeting numerous companies and government agencies in the U.S. and EU. Attackers have exploited the vulnerability in Word to embed Trojan programs into vulnerable computers.
Currently, these phishing attacks are assessed at a “low risk” level for the majority of the mentioned targets. However, the situation could change if the exploitation of the vulnerability in Word expands, warns the Chief Technology Officer of SANS.
Thien Yi
