Latest Word vulnerability and the usual reminder

‘Patch Tuesday’ looms again: the next scheduled Security Bulletin release is 12th December, so get ready for next week’s patches.

Hopefully, Microsoft will manage to include a patch for the vulnerability currently being exploited in what the company refers to as ‘limited “zero-day” attacks’. The vulnerability is present in Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Word Viewer 2003, Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Word 2004 v. X for Mac, as well as Microsoft Works 2004, 2005, and 2006.

It seems the attack can only be carried out if a user first opens a malicious Word file which is attached to an email or has been delivered by the attacker in some other way.

Doubtless Microsoft will provide more information as investigations proceed; we’re monitoring the situation. In the meantime, Microsoft is advising its customers as ‘a best practice’, to exercise extreme caution when opening unsolicited attachments from both known and unknown sources.

Kaspersky researchers have discovered new Mirage Kitten attacks using previously undocumented malware families: NodeRabbit in Node.js and PollCat in JavaScript.

Our experts discovered a new CoolClient backdoor variant with a kernel-mode rootkit driver that hides malicious processes, files, and network connections from security tools and threat analysts.

Kaspersky experts break down a new Armored Likho campaign that poses as a fundraising efforts and delivers a new Still Toolkit aimed at stealing Telegram data and eavesdropping on victims.

Kaspersky researchers reveal previously undocumented malware attributed to Mirage Kitten (UNC1549, Smoke Sandstorm, Nimbus Manticore): NightLedger backdoor, ArcBridge, and BridgeHead tunneling tools.