Malicious Code Exploit Discovered in Microsoft Office -- Redmondmag.com

Malicious Code Exploit Discovered in Microsoft Office

By Scott Bekker
10/29/1999

Finjan Software (www.finjan.com) announced that they have discovered a new exploit involving Microsoft Windows scrap files that could be used to deliver Trojan attacks. Microsoft Office applications can be used to create "scrap" files (.SHS extension) to hide executable programs.

Because the file extension on .SHS files is always hidden, a file can be falsely named with a harmless-seeming file extension (.TXT, .JPG, .GIF), which a user will be more likely to open. Once opened, a scrap file will transmit the Trojan executable program to the user's machine.

Microsoft Windows scrap files are created when a file is copied into an open Microsoft Office document and then copied and pasted onto the Windows desktop. The new scrap file is created with the hidden file extension .SHS, but can easily be renamed by a malicious user. When distributed via e-mail messages or instant message file transfer or other Web-based media, a scrap file's extension becomes visible, but once saved to the hard drive, the .SHS extension will disappear again.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

Real-World Ransomware Recovery

Here's how I was (mostly) successful in recovering a family PC infected with malware.
Microsoft Launches Small AI Models Family Phi-3

Recognizing that bigger isn't always better, Microsoft has released its smallest open AI models to date, Phi-3.
Microsoft and OpenAI Continue Global AI Expansions

Microsoft and OpenAI each continued their global expansion this month, with the announcements of new infrastructure investments and service rollouts in new regions, like Asia and the Middle East.
Cisco Warns of Brute Force Attacks Targeting VPNs and Firewalls

Cisco has revealed that a global increase in brute force attacks targeting Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other devices is currently taking place.
What's Inside Microsoft 365's Security Toolbox?

Microsoft provides plenty of native tools to secure Microsoft 365. IT pros just have to know where to look.