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Microsoft offers tools to thwart Office 2007 threats

Eileen Kennedy, News Writer
Windows IT managers now have a new tool and guide from Microsoft designed to tackle security threats targeting Office 2007 applications.

The free Group Policy Object Accelerator tool deploys security settings through Group Policy Objects in Office 2007, while the 2007 Microsoft Office Security Guide details steps IT managers can take to make the suite of Office applications more secure.

Using the tool and the guide together, IT managers will be able to seek out malicious code and lock down Office 2007. IT managers can use the guide to see how to use Office 2007's XML file format to convert files with malicious code in it, for example.

More on Office 2007 security:
Office 2007: A look at its security features 

Free tool battles Microsoft Office exploits in email
Microsoft has continued to focus on security in Office 2007 because hackers have turned their attention from server attacks to exploiting vulnerabilities in applications, according to Joshua Edwards, a technical product manager for Office 2007.

"It's a huge burden for an IT manager to go through all the Group Policy or registry settings, which have doubled with Office 2007, so we're providing them with all these options," Edwards said.

There are 6,000 Group Policy and registry settings in Office 2007, 300 of which are security settings, he said.


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