Zero-day flaw exposed in Microsoft Works

**Glaswegian** · 04-18-2008, 01:22 PM

Chinese-language blogs are detailing a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Works, the company's lower-end office productivity suite, according to security vendor McAfee.

The vulnerability is within an ActiveX control for the Works' Image Server, wrote McAfee analyst Kevin Beets. A PC would need to visit a website engineered to exploit the flaw, Beets wrote.

A zero-day flaw is a software vulnerability that has become public knowledge but for which no patch is available. It is particularly dangerous since users are exposed from day zero until the day a vendor prepares a patch and notifies users it is ready.

Proof-of-concept code was posted on a Chinese blog showing how the problem could cause Windows to crash, Beets wrote. Then, a few hours later, a working exploit appeared, which could allow malicious code to run on a machine.

http://www.techworld.com/security/ne...S&NewsID=12028

04-18-2008, 01:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Glaswegian Moderator/ Rangemaster TSF Academy; Analyst, Security Team; Oor Wullie; TSF Surgeon and Resident Comic Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Glasgow Posts: 25,389 OS: Win XP Pro SP3 / Win 7 Pro My System Blog Entries: 10	Zero-day flaw exposed in Microsoft Works Chinese-language blogs are detailing a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Works, the company's lower-end office productivity suite, according to security vendor McAfee. The vulnerability is within an ActiveX control for the Works' Image Server, wrote McAfee analyst Kevin Beets. A PC would need to visit a website engineered to exploit the flaw, Beets wrote. A zero-day flaw is a software vulnerability that has become public knowledge but for which no patch is available. It is particularly dangerous since users are exposed from day zero until the day a vendor prepares a patch and notifies users it is ready. Proof-of-concept code was posted on a Chinese blog showing how the problem could cause Windows to crash, Beets wrote. Then, a few hours later, a working exploit appeared, which could allow malicious code to run on a machine. http://www.techworld.com/security/ne...S&NewsID=12028 __________________ Iain - Defender of the Haggis and all things Scottish. I don't help by PM - post in the Forums. PC Safety & Security::PC running a bit slow?::Donate::Photographers Corner