It is a critical vulnerability in several version of Office Project, which allows hackers to gain remote control of the affected computer with the same privileges as the logged on user.

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MS09-074 is not categorized as virus, worm, Trojan or backdoor. It is a critical vulnerability in several versions Office Project, which allows arbitrary code to be remotely executed in the vulnerable computer. The affected versions are Project 2000, 2002 and 2003.

If exploited successfully, MS09-074 allows hackers to gain remote control of the affected computer with the same privileges as the logged on user. If this user had administrator rights, the hacker could take complete control of the system: create, modify or delete files, install programs, create new user accounts, etc.

This vulnerability is usually exploited by creating a specially crafted Project file and enticing users to open it. This malicious file can be distributed through different means: attached to an email message, or hosted in a website; the link to this website can be distributed via email or instant messaging programs.

If you have any of the vulnerable software installed on your computer, it is recommended to download and apply the security patch for this vulnerability. Click here to access the web page for downloading the patch.