Release of Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 3

Microsoft officially released its Office 2003 Service Pack 3. SP3 represents a major evolution in security for Office 2003. This released pack makes it easier for users to work with Windows Vista and exchange files with the 2007 Microsoft Office system. It further hardens the Office suite against potential attacks and other security threats. Besides, SP3 also includes fixes that have been previously released as separate updates for Office 2003.

The new service pack is significant in term of security enhancement. It includes new features and tools—such as MOICE (Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment) and File Block—which were developed as part of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. MOICE allows users to open Microsoft Office documents from unknown senders with relative safety. It uses the converters in the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats to convert binary format files into the newer Office Open XML format.

Read relevant article from Microsoft.