Microsoft fixes Outlook for Mac Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

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Key notes

  • Mac users can breathe a sigh of relief after this Patch Tuesday.
  • A nasty Outlook for Mac vulnerability has been finally fixed.
  • CVE-2022-23280 allowed images to appear in the Preview Pane.
  • Exploiting this would in fact expose the target’s IP information.
outlook mac

If you were wondering what else has Microsoft been working on in terms of security fixes, you surely found out the answer by now, after reading our February 2022 Patch Tuesday articles.

With this month’s release, the Redmond-based tech company has managed to finally fix CVE-2022-23280, which is related to an Outlook for MAC vulnerability.

So, on the off chance you were one of the people affected by this flaw, you can now breathe a sigh of relief and move on with your life, knowing you are safer now.

Attackers can no longer obtain your IP information

For those who weren’t already aware, this Outlook bug could allow images to appear in the Preview Pane automatically, even if this option is disabled.

We can all see how this could be both incredibly frustrating and somewhat dangerous, depending on who might have taken advantage of the vulnerability.

It’s important to know that, on its own, exploiting this will only expose the target’s IP information. That being said, it’s possible a second bug affecting image rendering could be paired with this bug to allow remote code execution.

Therefore, malicious third parties would be able to bypass the protection in Outlook that prevents an image from being shown automatically in an email.

If you are using Outlook for Mac, you should double-check to ensure your version has been updated to an unaffected version.

But, all-in-all, another victory that should be acknowledged, not because of the fantastic feat achieved, but more because of the peace of mind it offers.

If you have also been dealing with this problem, toss it in the trash and forget it ever existed. Are you satisfied with the Patch Tuesday updates for February 2022?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

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