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A security guru has found a flaw in Microsoft Excel that would allow some script kiddie to gain 'control' over your PC.[PAGEBREAK]
Georgi Guninski, a well-known security adviser, posted an advisory to his Web site on May 24 alerting people to the security hole. He said that the problem arises when a person opens an Excel spreadsheet file, choosing to view it with an XML style sheet. If the style sheet contains specially formed code, the PC will try to run that code, Guninski said.
"As script kiddies know, this may lead to taking full control over a user's computer," Guninski said. "Excel does not give any warning to the user--just asks whether to use the style sheet or not." By default, however, Excel does not display spreadsheet files with the style sheet, he added.
News.com.
A security guru has found a flaw in Microsoft Excel that would allow some script kiddie to gain 'control' over your PC.[PAGEBREAK]
Georgi Guninski, a well-known security adviser, posted an advisory to his Web site on May 24 alerting people to the security hole. He said that the problem arises when a person opens an Excel spreadsheet file, choosing to view it with an XML style sheet. If the style sheet contains specially formed code, the PC will try to run that code, Guninski said.
"As script kiddies know, this may lead to taking full control over a user's computer," Guninski said. "Excel does not give any warning to the user--just asks whether to use the style sheet or not." By default, however, Excel does not display spreadsheet files with the style sheet, he added.
News.com.