Microsoft issues "temporary" Duqu fix
By Chris Taylor
04/11/2011
Firms have been advised to run their patch management software following the release of a temporary Microsoft "fix" designed to suppress the Duqu computer virus.
Duqu poses a threat to businesses of all sizes using Microsoft's Word application as the virus hides silently within its files. Using a "zero-day vulnerability," Duqu has the ability to hijack any PC running Windows, Guardian.co.uk reports.
In a statement released on Thursday, Microsoft confirmed that it was investigating the vulnerability which is found in the "Win32k TrueType font parsing engine."
It went on to say further security updates could be rolled in out-of-cycle time periods because the virus has the ability to change quickly. Security companies already believe that Duqu has been altered since the first version appeared in the wild last month.
Internet security firm Symantec believes that the malware is present in at least eight countries, including the UK. It said that in a worst case scenario, Duqu could "launch an attack on a industrial control facility".
Speaking to BBC News, Symantec's director of security strategy, Greg Day explained why Duqu was particularly malicious.
"We have taught people for years that clicking on executable files from unknown sources is not sensible, but clicking on a Word document is a normal business practice," he said.
Explaining how Duqu may infiltrate a business, he added: "Since we think the Duqu attackers do reconnaissance beforehand they might have been able to exploit this to make people more likely to have opened the documents, either by having built up a relationship with them or having used an existing one to gain trust."
