Serious Internet Explorer Flaw Discovered

[Joe]

http://askbobrankin.com/alert_serio...covered.html?awt_l=J0thh&awt_m=JlwfLBxccuP6SL

The vulnerability, reported by security research firm FireEye on April 26, exists in all versions of Internet Explorer from 6 through 11! Yes, it went undiscovered that long; IE 6 was released in 2001, shortly after the launch of Windows XP. The flaw enables an attacker to bypass IE’s built-in protections against execution of downloaded code and manipulate the browser’s memory space to obtain the same privileges on the affected machine that its user has.

Translation: If you run Internet Explorer, this bug could enable a hacker do almost anything on your computer. That's very bad. And you need to take action right away to protect yourself.

What Steps Should You Take?
Computer emergency response teams (CERTs) in the USA, UK, and Sweden have advised Windows users to avoid using Internet Explorer until a patch is issued. Popular web browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox are recommended as alternatives to Internet Explorer.

XP and Vista users can reduce their vulnerability by installing Microsoft’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit. (Astute readers will remember that I mentioned this tool recently in Free Microsoft Security Tools.) Also, for 64-bit systems running versions 10 or 11 of IE, there is a feature called Enhanced Protected Mode (EPM) that can be enabled to guard against this vulnerability. Instructions for turning on EPM can be found in the Suggested Actions section of Microsoft Security Advisory 2963983.

Read more: http://askbobrankin.com/alert_serious_internet_explorer_flaw_discovered.html#ixzz30QdMYox6

 

[Pirate]

I think the first flaw was using internet explorer in the first place.....

 

[Joe]

IE Patch Released - May 1, 2014

I just got a notice that Microsoft has released a patch for IE.

KB2964358

For further information, visit:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2964358

 

[Joe]

I think the first flaw was using internet explorer in the first place.....

Possibly. But you may be being a bit too simplistic.

For example, my favorite web browser is Firefox. My second favorite is Opera.

I don't care for Internet Explorer (IE) but am forced to use it to take advantage of wifi.

For example, I own a Toshiba Satellite laptop running Windows 7. If I go to a Starbucks restaurant (for example) and wish to use their wifi, the Open Network and Sharing utility will connect me to Starbucks (attwifi) but only if I open my (default) web-browser and click on "I Accept" their terms and conditions. AND this will only work if I have Internet Explorer selected as my default browser. Does not work with Firefox or Opera selected as the default browser.

And the same is true of the wifi at Target, Bravo Gelato, Harris Teeter, Panera, Which Wich, Whole Foods, and many others.

So I am forced to continue to use Internet Explorer, whether I like it or not.

ETA: Please note that I use IE only to complete the wifi connection. All other browsing tasks are done with Firefox (or Opera).

 

[Blobbenstein]

I think they should make an exception, and provide a patch to XP.....if this fault has existed for all this time.

 

[Spang]

I think they should make an exception, and provide a patch to XP.....if this fault has existed for all this time.

Done.

While Microsoft may have killed off support for Windows XP last month, the company is taking the highly unusual approach of releasing a security update for its nearly 13-year-old operating system today.

 

[Blobbenstein]

that's great.

My dad still has XP.

 

[Amy SF]

I have XP (hoping that changes by the end of this month) and have automatic updates turned on, so I'm guessing the patch should have automatically installed already.

My mother's computer also has XP. I have no idea if she's going to do an upgrade. She's pretty clueless when it comes to computers. She thinks the best way to manage her computer is hands off: Leave it alone and it will continue to work just fine. Also, she probably doesn't understand WHY she needs to upgrade to a new platform, since she has no problem with XP. It's very user-friendly, which is why it's hard for some people (like me) to get rid of it.