Microsoft: Peace of mind for a few days

Microsoft has only fixed a critical security vulnerability in Internet Explorer just a few days ago, but it is already facing another critical vulnerability.

Recently, a serious bug was discovered in Internet Explorer that required Microsoft to release an extraordinary bug fix. However, the company’s experts couldn’t rest much as McAfee issued an alert announcing that PowerPoint software had become the latest target for the attackers. This is because attackers have successfully exploited a vulnerability that could compromise affected systems.

Craig Schmugar, a McAfee researcher, said the most recently discovered vulnerability in PowerPoint could be exploited through specially crafted files. Trojans have already appeared on the Internet that seek to infect computers running vulnerable PowerPoint more widely.

The vulnerability was also investigated by the security company Secunia and immediately ranked as one of the most dangerous bugs. Primarily because the code required to exploit the vulnerability is available on the Internet. Microsoft began analyzing the vulnerability immediately after the announcement and found that it also affected applications running PowerPoint 2000/2002/2003/2004 for Mac.

Microsoft is already working on the bug fix, but it is not yet known when the appropriate fix will be available. Until the update is released, the company recommends that you use PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view the presentations, as this application does not include the security vulnerability. In addition, security companies recommend that you open PowerPoint files from trusted sources only.