Users of OpenOffice 2.3 or prior versions should be prepared to download a highly critical security patch this week.
The OpenOffice.org community has issued a patch for a "highly critical" security vulnerability in OpenOffice 2.3 and prior versions, according to a security advisory issued by Secunia on Wednesday.
A security flaw in a third party default database engine module, HSQLDB, shipped with OpenOffice 2.3 and prior versions, could allow malicious attackers to launch arbitrary code. The vulnerabilities could be exploited by manipulating the database documents processing, according to a security advisory issued by OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org is asking users to download OpenOffice version 2.3.1.
OpenOffice 2.3 was released in September, shortly before security researchers reported vulnerabilities in OpenOffice 2.0.4 and earlier versions. The security flaws could allow attackers to gain control of users' systems via maliciously crafted TIFF files.
The OpenOffice productivity suite is gaining in popularity with its OpenDocument file format as an alternative to Microsoft Office.
