MS08-016 is not categorized as virus, worm, Trojan or backdoor. It is a critical vulnerability in certain versions of Office, which allows arbitrary code to be remotely executed in the vulnerable computer. The affected versions are: - Office Excel Viewer 2003.
- Office 2003 Service Pack 2.
- Office XP Service Pack 3.
- Office 2000 Service Pack 3.
- Office 2004 for Mac.
If exploited successfully, MS08-016 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. MS08-016 is exploited by sending a specially crafted Office file via email and enticing users into opening it or by hosting a specially crafted Office file in a web page and entincing users into visiting it. If you have any of the vulnerable Office components 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. Additionally, bear in mind that this security bulletin replaces the bulletin MS08-013, MS07-025 or MS07-15, depending on the versions. |