How to defeat zero-day MS Word HTA virus

[DelJo63]

First, you don't need to allow foo.hta files - - there are better ways to run applications than using MS Word to launch applications implemented as HTA.

The fix is trivial; Change the file association from

• HTA -> Microsoft
  
• to
  
• HTA -> Notepad

here's how:

• click on start and then click Default Programs
• the second link Associate a file type ...
• scroll to .hta
• click Change Application
• paste C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe
• click ok

IF a virus attempts to sneak by, you will then see a popup by Notepad and the infection code displayed - - just [x] quit notepad and smile.