Trojan hits unpatched Microsoft Word flaw - Affects Word XP and Word 2003

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#1
And another interesting one...
Stealth attack targets specific corporations
Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com 22 May 2006

Security experts have detected a virus that exploits an unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft Word.

The flaw was exploited in at least one targeted attack against a corporation where several individuals received an email with an attached document.

The email's sender information was spoofed to make it look like the message came from inside the organisation.

On opening the document, the user's system is infected by a Trojan that uses a rootkit to hide itself. It then starts collecting information about the system and contacts an internet address outside the company.

Researchers traced the attack to China and Taiwan. "Due to the aggravating circumstances we want to make sure the community is aware of this problem as soon as possible," said a note posted on the Sans Internet Storm Center website.

Microsoft confirmed the vulnerability in a blog posting, saying that the flaw affects Word XP and Word 2003.

Stephen Toulouse, a programme manager at Microsoft, said that the company is working on a patch that is scheduled to be released on 13 June, or sooner if warranted.

Security vendor McAfee labelled the Trojan BackDoor-CKB!cfaae1e6 and rated it low risk.

The malware is noteworthy, however, because it exploits a previously unknown flaw in Word.

Because the Trojan is being used in highly targeted attacks, it allows the attacker to stay off the antivirus vendors' radars.
 
Elsmar Forum Sponsor
S

Sleepless

#4
Yikes! Nothing can be done as of yet

June 13 is a long time to wait for a patch. There is a suggestion, from another website (http://isc.sans.org/diary.php?storyid=1347) that you can save your .doc's in RTF but that will remove all formatting. BTW, it also affects Power Point documents too.

Thanks for passing this along (the message that is, not the virus):) .
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
Marc Where can you leave a Trojan Horse? Funny Stuff - Jokes and Humour 3
Marc Storm Trojan gang declare start of World War III After Work and Weekend Discussion Topics 3
R New Internet Virus Alert - Hackarmy Trojan After Work and Weekend Discussion Topics 0
Marc Fuel tank issue (FOD) hits Boeing’s 737 MAX - Feb 2020 World News 19
somashekar Father of Elsmar Cove hits second SILVER Covegratulations 16
T Party Prince Harry hits America Coffee Break and Water Cooler Discussions 15
AnaMariaVR2 Meth-Resistant Decongestant Hits Shelves Coffee Break and Water Cooler Discussions 0
AnaMariaVR2 FDA hits China Plant - OTC DRUG Nationwide Recall US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2
BradM Miner hits Silver Status Covegratulations 18
BradM MIREGMGR Hits Silver Status Covegratulations 19
Ajit Basrur Harry hits Silver Covegratulations 21
AnaMariaVR2 Ranbaxy, FDA consent decree hits Daiichi US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 1
BradM Randy hits Silver Status Covegratulations 26
BradM AndyN hits silver Status Covegratulations 13
BradM Wes Bucey hits silver status Covegratulations 24
BradM Marc Smith hits silver status Covegratulations 30
bobdoering How's this for a probability function? Player Hits Own Mom With Foul Ball Funny Stuff - Jokes and Humour 7
Marc Job Satisfaction hits Record Low Career and Occupation Discussions 8
Marc 2016 Bug Hits Text Messages, Payment Processing After Work and Weekend Discussion Topics 3
Coury Ferguson Earthquake hits Southern CA-5.4 on the Ricter Scale Coffee Break and Water Cooler Discussions 7
Marc Google URL Index Hits 1 Trillion World News 6
Marc Absenteeism in U.S. workplace hits highest level in years World News 13

Similar threads

Top Bottom