The first quarter of 2017 has seen an increase in cyberattacks using Microsoft Office documents to deliver malware, according to an analysis by IT security provider PhishMe.
The technique uses object linking and embedding — a technology developed by Microsoft — to enable users to link and embed compound documents within existing documents.
Cyberattackers leverage this capability by sending users a Microsoft document with an embedded icon inside it, according to PhishMe. Once the user clicks the embedded object, it writes a script application that downloads and executes malware onto the computer system.
"Although this delivery method of malicious OLE objects is not new, it does reinforce an ongoing trend in which threat actors hope to circumvent technical controls," the PhishMe analysis states.
Click here to view the full analysis.