You may have heard about the recently-announced security vulnerability that makes use of malicious code embedded in Microsoft Office documents. This exploit is possible if a user opens or even previews the malicious document in Outlook or Windows Explorer, and can grant an attacker significant access to the user’s network and privileges to cause further harm.
However, this attack vector still requires a user to download or preview the malicious file, so a practical way to protect yourself is to never open – or even click on – email attachments from an untrusted source. And even if you trust the source, it never hurts to confirm its legitimacy by checking for a few indicators if you receive an unexpected attachment, an uncharacteristic request, or a suspiciously-worded message.
Mytech is monitoring the development of this threat from both Microsoft communications and our partners in the cybersecurity industry, and deploying mitigations as they become available, to keep our clients secure. We will continue to inform and protect our clients from this threat and others, all as part of Making IT Easy – no matter the threat.