Hardening Word and Reader against exploits

Posted by satuon on Super User See other posts from Super User or by satuon
Published on 2012-06-21T08:15:41Z Indexed on 2012/06/21 9:18 UTC
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Filed under:

Windows

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security

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microsoft-word

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adobe-reader

I have recently heard a lot about exploits for PDF and DOC files on Windows, which when opened in Reader or Word would infect the computer. I'm assuming most of those exploits rely on some kind of active content, I've heard that Reader allows JavaScript for example.

I already have antivirus, but I've heard they often don't catch those types of exploits, so I want to try a little proactive defense. Is there a way to harden Reader and Word by disabling plugins or options that are often used by exploits?

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