{"id":2203,"date":"2022-06-07T15:38:05","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T22:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/information-systems\/2022\/06\/07\/protecting-yourself-when-interacting-with-digital-files\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T23:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T23:39:16","slug":"protecting-yourself-when-interacting-with-digital-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/2022\/06\/07\/protecting-yourself-when-interacting-with-digital-files\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Yourself When Interacting with Digital Files"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapman<\/span> University\u2019s Information Security team has <\/span>identified<\/span> a new vulnerability that could affect MS Office users. This blog will review their findings, what Chapman is doing to protect the community, and share <\/span>some<\/span> best digital file and internet safety practices.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. <\/b> New Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Excel)<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Microsoft has recently <\/span>disclosed<\/span> a vulnerability (CVE-2022-30190) that takes advantage of MS Office files such as Word and Excel and allows remote online attackers to potentially install programs, change the settings, <\/span>delete<\/span> data, and more. <\/span><\/span>This new attack sometimes masquerades as a salary increase phish with attached files.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Example<\/a><\/p>\n

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    1. <\/b> How Protected View can help you stay safe<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Microsoft’s Prot<\/span>ected View, a feature in Microsoft Office that opens Office documents in read-only mode, can prevent this attack<\/span>. <\/span>Although Protected View <\/span>provides<\/span> safeguards by opening Office documents in read-only mode, it can be bypassed by enabling editing or by simply previewing a document that has been converted to Rich Text Format (RTF)<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. <\/b> Chapman University IS&T response<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Chapman University’s Information Systems & Technology (IS&T) teams are\u00a0actively <\/span>monitoring<\/span> this vulnerability and working on implementing <\/span>additional<\/span> preventive measures to protect the Chapman community.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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        1. <\/b> Tips to keep you safe every day<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          The rise in online interactions and digital file-sharing has led to an increase in people downloading digital files. It is not surprising that we are more likely to download something without thinking about it, especially since we have many devices and receive many emails every day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          We want to share a few tips on what to do before downloading files from the internet:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n