Network Security, Patch/Configuration Management, Vulnerability Management

From eight to one: PowerPoint sole fix coming from Microsoft

Microsoft said Thursday it expects to release a single patch next week -- this one to repair a zero-day vulnerability in PowerPoint that is being leveraged in ongoing, targeted attacks.

The single fix, down from eight security bulletins released last month by the software giant, impacts a critical PowerPoint vulnerability present in Office 2000, 2003, XP and 2007, according to an advance notification.

Days before its April security update, Microsoft researchers disclosed that a number of varying exploits were attempting to take advantage of the vulnerability.

The malware ploy works by attempting to trick users into opening a malicious PowerPoint slideshow, the researchers said. If they do, a trojan is installed on their machine.

Originally, the bug wasn't believed to impact Office 2007, but in Thursday's notification, Microsoft said PowerPoint 2007 with Service Pack 1 and 2 are affected.




An In-Depth Guide to Network Security

Get essential knowledge and practical strategies to fortify your network security.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You can skip this ad in 5 seconds