Never use Microsoft Office to share edited documents with sensitive data

I was looking at a Microsoft Office document that contained some sensitive information when it occurred to me to see if Microsoft still stores deleted information in their Word files like it did years ago. I decided to do a test on my Microsoft Office 2003 updated with all the latest Service Packs & updates.

I opened MS Word and typed in Microsoft sucks then saved the file. I then deleted Microsoft sucks and typed in hello and saved the file.


So now whenever someone opens this file, they would see hello.

But when I open the file with WinHex (or any hex editor), I scroll down to sure enough see Microsoft sucks staring me in the face.


This is not about simply turning off comments and tracking in Microsoft app options but about disabling the default behavior of embedding deleted words which can be read by an external hex editor.

Can this be done?

I wonder if they fixed this in the 07 build? If you want me to test it, PM me as to how to do it

All right, see post #1? That's how I created this file:

I then opened it with WinHex to see "Microsoft Sucks" next to line 00001C50

okay by using your file, I could see it. But if I created my own file with MSO2007 and checked with the hex editor, there was no sign of this

well, if you twitch up the paranoid-notch a bit, you might actually believe that 07 just garbles the changes, rather than deleting them.... and then a few people in diverse anti-terror organizations have the means to ungarble it...

But its quite fun to see, and also explains why large word documents with a large history, have a tendency to act real strange and turn your document upside down.

What if you move the file? Say to another drive?

I think the harddrive "saves" some of the sections?

This is not about terrorism or hard drives.

You
1. Opened MS Word 2007 and typed in Microsoft sucks then saved the file as let's say test1.doc.

2. Deleted words Microsoft sucks from the file and typed in hello and saved the file as test1.doc, overwriting the already saved test1.doc file from step 1.

3. Opened test1.doc with WinHex and carefully scrolled down to see if Microsoft sucks is there?

okee I use word 2003 and I can see my deleted words in there even after moving. How very sucky.

c627627 said:

This is not about terrorism or hard drives.

You
1. Opened MS Word 2007 and typed in Microsoft sucks then saved the file as let's say test1.doc.

2. Deleted words Microsoft sucks from the file and typed in hello and saved the file as test1.doc, overwriting the already saved test1.doc file from step 1.

3. Opened test1.doc with WinHex and carefully scrolled down to see if Microsoft sucks is there?

Click to expand...

exactly, even had my roommate over my shoulder checking to see if I missed anything

dicecca112, don't make me install 2007 beta just to see Thanks for that.

That's good, we'll see if it's back in the final build when 2007 is released.


I am still trying to figure out how to disable this or to at least find out that this is something that cannot be disabled in current and previous Microsoft Office versions...