Office 2007's Security Features in a Legacy Office Environment

 Executive Summary:

Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE), an update to the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, provides the ability to work with OOXML files in Office 2003, Office 2002, Office XP, and Office 2000. Let's look at how to install and work with MOICE on Office 2003 systems, including how to use it with the separate but related File Block feature. In addition, I'll show you how to use Office 2007's encryption and authentication features and discuss what you can do with them in a mixed Office environment.

Since the release of Microsoft Office 2007 in late 2006, Microsoft customers have experienced a lower level of risk when working exclusively with the new Office Open XML (OOXML) file formats that are native to Office 2007. One of the advantages of using XML-based file formats in Office 2007 is that you can validate the files before opening them, making it more difficult for someone to have inserted malicious code. The old binary Office file formats are more susceptible to attacks. . . .