New Software Security
Microsoft Releases Office 2003 Service Pack 3, Fast Save Disabled
Microsoft is making the third service pack for Office 2003 available for free download, which the company says strengthens the product’s defenses against malicious software. The popular Fast Save feature is disabled due to security reason.
“Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3 is the culmination of several years of improvements to the product suite … It makes it easier to work with the Windows Vista operating system, exchange files with people who use the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and interact with servers in the 2007 release. SP3 also minimizes the issues that previously caused distractions,” a white paper released along with the service pack says.
SP3 also enhances security by including recent, individually released patches. It includes new features and tools—such as MOICE (Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment) and File Block—which were developed as part of the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
These two security tools, released separately earlier this year, reduce the threat of malware concealed within Microsoft Office documents, the paper says.
MOICE allows users to open Microsoft Office documents from unknown senders with relative safety. It uses the converters in the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats to convert binary format files into the newer Office Open XML format, it says.
File Block complements MOICE by allowing IT administrators to temporarily prevent certain file formats from opening through registry or group policy. This provides companies with the flexibility needed to quickly respond to evolving threats without unduly limiting productivity, the paper says.
Office 2003 SP3 disables the Fast Save feature in Word 2003, which speeds up the document-saving process by saving only the changes made to a document. “But the saved document may contain metadata, such as comments, erased text, previous versions and authorship. Disabling Fast Save ensures that confidential data is protected against improper disclosure,” the white paper says.
Legacy file formats created using Microsoft Office programs are also disabled by default as this increases security since hackers can more easily find vulnerabilities in the older formats. IT administrators can change the settings to allow specific document formats, if needed, according to the paper.
Download Office 2003 Service Pack 3(SP3)
Source: ExtremeTech
