Microsoft Word bug let hackers have access files for months
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}File photo: A sign marks the Microsoft office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. January 25, 2017. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
An error in Microsoft Word let hackers have access to files for month before the tech giant eventually fixed the problem.
According to a Reuters report, security researcher Ryan Hanson spotted the bug in July 2016. Microsoft was told about it in October and the issue was finally patched earlier in April, a full six months after it was first notified.
Microsoft could not be reached for comment for this story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Microsoft was investigating the flaw, hackers were able to manipulate the software on unknown Russian speakers, taking control of their computers.
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Hanson consults for the cyber security firm Optiv, was the first to find the bug, but others found it as well. Security researchers at FireEye in March found a piece of financial hacking software known as Latenbot used the same Microsoft bug. McAfee also noted the bug's existence.