Microsoft said Thursday it is working to fix a Windows software vulnerability that lets a Stuxnet-like Duqu virus sneak into computers by hiding in Word document files.
Duqu infections have been reported in a dozen countries including Iran, France, Britain and India, according to US computer security firm Symantec.
“Microsoft is collaborating with our partners to provide protections for a vulnerability used in targeted attempts to infect computers with the Duqu malware,” said Microsoft trustworthy computer group manager Jerry Bryant.
“We are working diligently to address this issue and will release a security update for customers through our security bulletin process,” he added in an email response to an AFP inquiry.
Symantec said the Duqu threat is growing and that slipping into machines through Word files is “one of many forms of attacks that cyber criminals can use to infect computers.”
Similarities between Duqu and a malicious Stuxnet worm have prompted speculation that the same culprits might be involved, though no links have been proven.
