Even seemingly reliable e-mail vulnerable to hackers

[snopes]

You can no longer trust Office or QuickTime files that arrive in e-mail, even from organizations and people you deal with regularly.

For that matter, any file from a popular software application, sent by e-mail or accessible at a website, is no longer trustworthy. Why? Data thieves are increasingly using them as snares in attacks that focus on patrons of companies and agencies that collect sensitive data, or zero in on specific individuals within certain organizations.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/co...-attacks_N.htm

[BluesScale]

You know, there is something in what they are saying. The OS is no longer the target of choice because it is pretty tough (now) and made tougher by defense in depth such as network address translation.

Targeted attacks are using document formats (Office, PDF, ZIP) to drop remote admin tools on specific users systems more often than in the previous year.

That said, while it is a risk, it is not a common one. Attacks of this nature tend to be against senior members of an organisation and carefully planned. Unless you are a scientist or a captain of industry, the powerpoint slide show of funny cat photos probably is just that. The risk is non-zero but small.

Blues

[BluesScale]

Further to that, MS announce a new one

http://www.microsoft.com:80/technet/...ry/950627.mspx

Blues