Why shouldn't I email or post Microsoft Word documents?

Many people send Microsoft Word documents as email attachments without realizing that there are several security risks. 
 
 
 some viruses specifically target Microsoft Word files	 
 
 Microsoft Word vulnerability gives hackers a backdoor May 24, 2006 	 
 	 earlier versions and edits of your document are often contained in documents. See this article by security expert Bruce Schneier for more details. http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0308.html#8 
 	 using . PDF instead provides a smaller, and usually non-editable file, preventing hijacking of ‘official’ document templates 	 if you must use MS Word, download and use the Remove Hidden Data tool from Microsoft 	 if you need an editable version save it as RTF (Rich Text Format), which can be imported into almost every word processing program and won’t contain scripts or macros.