A previously unknown hole in Microsoft Word is being exploited by those whacky hackers. Apparently, they have nothing better to do or maybe it is because they could not get girlfriends growing up and now are bitter as they approach 30 or 40 and find themselves living in their parent’s basement surrounded by old monitors and potato chips. Who knows.
Ahh… where was I… oh yes, this latest vulnerability can be exploited by simply opening a rigged Word document.
Since no pre-patch workarounds are available as of yet, Microsoft suggests that users “not open or save Word files,” even if you know the sender. According to their website:
As a best practice, users should always exercise extreme caution when opening unsolicited attachments from both known and unknown sources.
What! Not open an unsolicited attachment? That is unheard of for some people. I don’t think they can resist, that little paperclip symbol is just too powerful.
Maybe Microsoft will plug the hole when they issue their monthly patches next Tuesday. However, the company has not confirmed that they will do so.
So, to recap: Don’t open any unsolicited attachment! Don’t open any Word files from web sites! Wait a few days until the anti-virus people update the virus definitions, unless you don’t mind if some guy is controlling your computer from a remote location.
