Article by the Associated Press
A serious flaw has been found in Microsoft’s Excel, a spreadsheet program widely used by businesses and individuals.
This flaw allows a knowledgeable hacker to create a malicious Excel file. When opened, this file grants the hacker total control over the victim’s computer. The hacker can access and execute all of the victim’s files, as well as create and delete user accounts.
Microsoft says Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Service Pack 2, Excel Viewer 2003, Excel 2002, Excel 2000 and Excel 2004 for Mac are vulnerable. The software giant did not reveal if a patch would be released to resolve the issue.
Most users do not need to be concerned. The flaw can only be exploited if a user downloads and opens a malicious Excel file. Mysterious e-mail attachments and compromised Web Sites should be avoided.
Users can protect themselves by downloading Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment, a tool that scans the files for malicious coding. According to Microsoft, downloading and installing Microsoft Office Service Pack 3 seals the security hole.
Those who believe they have been attacked are recommended to contact Microsoft and their national law enforcement agency.
Contact: Microsoft.
Contact: FBI
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