“Microsoft has warned of an unpatched vulnerability in its Office productivity suite,” John Leyden reports for The Register.
“The bug, which arises from an unspecified flaw in handling strings, might be exploited to corrupt memory on a vulnerable system. The flaw allows malware to be loaded onto exposed systems providing users are tricked into opening maliciously-constructed files. Computers running Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac are all potentially vulnerable,” Leyden reports.
Leyden reports, “Users are advised not to open untrusted Office documents pending the release of patches from Microsoft.”
Full article with more info and links here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
Related article:
Mac users should not buy Microsoft software (or hardware) – May 16, 2003
kind of a misnomer, productivity suite!
Another funny redundant term: “Untrusted (Microsoft) Office Documents”.
Another day another Windows or Office vulnerability, so what else is new? Didn’t Bill Gates just say last week that Macs are exploited daily, but that Microsoft software is much more secure and doesn’t have that problem? I’m still waiting to see the proof of that. Sounds like you’re full of sh*t to me Bill.
“The flaw allows malware to be loaded onto exposed systems providing users are tricked into opening maliciously-constructed files.”
What malware? An Office 2004 update?
I’m still using Office vX in its 10.1.8 version. Outdated, but reasonably stable for a MS application.
Eh, nice computer you got there, bub. Be kinda sad if something were to *happen* to it, if ya catch my drift.
I’m not sayin’ somethin’ *will* happen, just that it could. Ya know?
‘be a shame.
My associates and I have a “Package” you may be interested in. Yeah.
We call it “Microsoft Office 2007.”
Apple should come up with a new and advance spreadsheet!
I’m angry and terrified.
hey M$ we don´t need you,we have got our own staff and when it comes,office for vista is past and apple spreadsheet is the future.
Sure glad I use pages and keynote instead of Microsh*t Orifice…
Leaves you with a hole new feeling, huh…
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I prefer not to use his sh1te…
MDN: his
Ahhaaaaa…. this is what Bill Gates meant when he said there were vulnerabilities for Macs.
Guess he must have been forewarned.
Sadly, I have no choice in the matter – what with my being on just one of a handful of Macs in a sea of PCs – I’ll take the risk any day over having to constantly worry about the next winders exploit.
Remember – Bill Gates himself said recently that Macs see a hack/exploit/security issue every day – ONE per DAY. Wow – that’s a LOT, huh? Looks like 365 problems in an entire year. Wow. I’m shaking in my boots, there, Tex.
So, ever wonder how many “per day” M$ has had to deal with? Hmmmm…. lessee here – in 2005 that number was, according to established reports, about 114,000. Let’s divide that even number by 365 days in a year, shall we? That comes to a little over 300 bugs, viruses, trojan horses, etc. released into the wild to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting WinxPC user EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT YEAR. Almost as many in a SINGLE DAY as we poor Mac users might need to deal with. At some point.
Down the road. Eventually. Maybe.
Given those odds, I’m only too happy to take my chances with my Mac.
“Computers running Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac are all potentially vulnerable,” Leyden reports.”
Wouldn’t a Mac user have to authorize the actual installation of the malware via a password? And even if that happens, wouldn’t that malware be limited to the authorization of the Mac user (who should not be running as root).
That, in my opinion, is one of the many strengths of a true multiuser OS, like MacOS X.
Dear KingMe!
We in the “real IT world” fully understand how dangerous the MAC OS is and you do not.
Applications can be installed without the permission of a User or an Administrator.
In fact an application can run from any mounted disk image without ever being copied to the hard drive.
We in the enterprise world our now enjoying the Vista Wow!
Meanwhile Apple computers are being attacked on a daily basis – without any support from Apple.
Additionally there are no tools available for administrators to use, to help protect, the tiny number of Apple PC’s that are connected to our networks.
©
So this is the best that MS could fire back at Apple for telling people not to upgrade to Vista?
HAHA (in nelson voice)
That’s what the suckers get for using MS Office. iWork is the way to go!
There is far more “malware” potential from Microsoft Office for Mac than from Mac OS X itself. If there really is a spreadsheet in iWork 07, it couldn’t come soon enough.
iWork ’07 has never looked so promising.
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OH.
MY.
GOD.
Sputnik is back!
sounds a bit “shady ” to me
i can’t wait for iWork 07 to have a spreadsheet app thats compatible with excel. then its bye-bye M$ for good
Only a liar would wrap their vocation in quotation marks.