Word flaw exploited by Trojan

Microsoft warns that an unpatched Word vulnerability has become the subject of targeted attacks.According to Microsoft’s testing, it only affects Microsoft Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3. Using the vulnerability a hacker can inject hostile code onto vulnerable system.

Redmond has published workarounds as a stop-gap measure while its researchers investigate the flaw in greater depth. The vulnerability has appeared in a number of samples on malware.

The timing of the arrival of the exploit means Microsoft had insufficient time to respond before its regular Patch Tuesday update, a factor that’s unlikely to be a coincidence. The ins and out of the flaw are still under investigation and will probably be withheld until a fix is unavailable. It’s also unclear who the attack is targeting, though historically unpatched Word exploits are a particular favorite of Chinese hackers.

For more details and workarounds visit Microsoft Security Advisory (953635)