PowerPoint Flaw to be Fixed August 8

Microsoft issued an advisory Monday, warning customers of a security vulnerability in PowerPoint that was disclosed last week. The Redmond company plans to make a fix available as part of its monthly security updates on August 8, but may release a patch sooner if warranted.

"In order for this attack to be carried out, a user must first open a malicious PowerPoint document attached to an e-mail or otherwise provided to them by an attacker," Microsoft said, adding that it "is concerned that new reports of a vulnerability in PowerPoint were not disclosed responsibly, potentially putting computer users at risk. We continue to encourage responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities."