PowerPoint bug presents new risk

In April 2009, Microsoft announced an un-patched flaw in PowerPoint that can leave PCs at the mercy of unscrupulous users.

The weakness, which is located in the application's memory, enables the creation of infected PowerPoint files and it seems the usual cyber suspects are already making use of this new means of attack. Once the hacker has lured a user into opening a contaminated file, usually by sending it as email attachment, a Trojan horse allows him to take remote control of the PC.

This flaw is present in PowerPoint versions 2000, XP, 2003 (even where Office service pack 3 has been installed) and also PowerPoint 2004 for Mac. The latest releases, PowerPoint 2007 and 2008 for Mac, are not affected.

So far, Microsoft has only received a few reported incidences of this kind but the software giant has promised to make a patch available. This will either be released as part of its monthly updates or as a standalone fix, however, some sources at Microsoft are reportedly saying this could be as late as August 2009.

Until the patch is released, users are being advised to exercise caution and only open PowerPoint files sent from a trusted source.