Hackers Target Word

Hackers targeting Microsoft have switched from flaws in Windows or Internet Explorer to its biggest application Word.

An alert from Symantec says a Japanese government agency has been compromised by malware that arrives as an attachment to an e-mail.

So far the Japanese user is the only one to report the flaw. But Microsoft says it is readying a fix, to be distributed next month. Vincent Weafer, senior director at Symantec Security Response, has raised its “ThreatCon” to Level 2, which means he expects an outbreak.

The attachment looks like a legitimate document. But when it is opened it installs a backdoor which pings an IP address in Asia.