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Microsoft
If you have your Windows computer set up so that it gets Microsoft's software updates automatically, such as on "Patch Tuesdays," good. If you don't, you'll want to make sure you get the latest update for Internet Explorer issued this week, rated "critical" for many recent versions of IE.
(Msnbc.com is a joint
The update "resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer," says Microsoft in a security bulletin, describing how an attacker could take control of your PC:
The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
The update is considered "critical" for IE 7, IE 8 and IE 9 on PCs, and "moderate" for IE 7, IE 8 and IE 9 on Windows servers. If you are still one of the few using IE 6, the threat is considered "moderate."
You can download the update you need here. And, you can learn more about automatic updates here.
Related stories:
- Microsoft mistakenly flags Google as malicious site
- Ding dong! IE 6 is dead!
- IE 6 deep-sixed in Microsoft browser overhaul
- Internet Explorer still sliding as Chrome rises
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Leave a Comment:
And this is why you should use Chrome
Sup Chromie!
Chrome all the way
Or, I suppose, ANYTHING other than IE
Enjoy your botnet.
Why do people keep blaming Microsoft for hackers breaking their software? Do we blame the auto makers because someone stole our car or the home builder because someone broke into the house? No. Lets start placing the blame where it belongs and that is with the hackers. If the hackers were so hell bent on preventing us from using our computers then we would need the extreme amount of security we have today. At least Microsoft is making the attempt at trying to keep their product from being hacked. What to the auto makers and home builders do to help prevent theif?
You are so right Grumpy. microsoft does everything it needs to to keep ahead of the bad guys. Good thing it was found BEFORE anyone was infected. Atleast as far as we know.
A fair question, Grumpy61, but I don't think it necessarily applies to the preceding comments in this thread advocating Google's Chrome browser. As my personal livelihood is at least indirectly dependent on the Windows platform, I've been a staunch defender of Microsoft against ignorant attacks like those you question for years. However, on this particular issue I have to agree whole-heatedly with Nate et al that Chrome is vastly superior and more stable than Internet Explorer.
I made the switch about 4 months ago after limping along with IE for years. The difference in performance and stability is nothing short of astounding. And, it's really easy to transfer all your "bookmarks" and "favorites" from IE to Chrome during the initial setup; takes about 5 minutes. In sum, while I still believe that many Microsoft products are second-to-none in the market, Internet Explorer is most certainly not among them.
PDK,
Yes, miss placed comment. I agree with those advocating Chrome. I currently user Firefox but of late feel they are becoming bloated and it does not run as well as it did before version 4 or 5 was released, and I am looking at switching to Chrome. It has become a stable browser since it's release.
But even Chrome has flaws that can be exploited given time. Firefox did as well as Adobe's PDF reader and even Java. All of which do their best to stay within striking distance of hackers.
The only fault I might find with Chrome is that it looks like Google is trying to be the king of the hill as MS tried to be back in the 90's. We need the competition between providers or else it makes it easier for hackers to invade our lives as there ends up being no backup until a hole is fixed.
Good points, Grumpy61. I completely agree. I think what many people fail to consider is that the risk of viruses/malware/hacks is largely proportional to a given application's market share. Thus, as Google's Chrome user-base continues to grow, I'm sure we can expect many more of these d-bag hackers to devote their perverted attentions to it.
In other news ... "Google has shipped another Chrome browser update to fix several gaping security holes."
If all you do is surf the net, then you should even be using a PC to do it, get a tablet and use that. If however you actually do real work, and you wish to share things with other in the company, or use sharepoint, and tools of that nature, then IE is the only one that will work in most cases. I have more to do than try to remember this browser works here, that one does not. Of course I also do not just click on any website that a search bring up, or open any email, or any links in facebook.
Okay, so I'm not very computer literate (and I use IE). What is this "stability" I hear so much about? And what about the gripes that Google uses Chrome to keep track of everything you do? I'm just a surfer - I don't "work" with the internet.
I'd like to think I'm not a kneejerk Microsoft basher, but if I had a boat that needed a new patch every week, I'd probably be pretty miffed - especially when the boat started getting heavier and heavier with patches, bondo, extra paint, etc.
Yes, PDK and Grumpy61 are right. Chrome may be faster, but it's not true to claim that it's magically better than IE because it has less security flaws. EVERY major piece of software (browser or not) has security flaws....including Chrome...it has had many patched in the past. Give the hackers enough time to find it and they will. But they have to have an incentive to look. Chrome's biggest security strength is simply that it has less marketshare than IE. That means less users and less money to be made taking over Chrome users. If Chrome ever gets popular enough that it becomes more profitable to target it than IE, then you will see more exploits with Chrome than IE.
Chrome is okay but I wish Firefox was still worth a cuss. For me it got less and less stable and more sloppy with each version. Ugh..
People blame Microsoft because they designed the software. While you might not fault an auto maker for your car being stolen, you would fault them for your car being stolen if they designed a car with non-functional door locks and an ignition that turns on if you jiggle it without a key present.
For The Angry Guy: Software isn't like patching a boat for holes. There is maintenance, upgrades, and fix cycles involved with writing any software. Whether it's Window, Mac, Linux, and whatever browser you use they all do this. And, better still they provide this service for you at their own expense. You buy a computer with Windows or buy the OS software and Microsoft maintains it for free for about 10 years per product. Not such a bad deal is it?
Microsoft has the biggest presence and the largest user base so naturally they have the most apparent upgrade cycle. They also have the largest number of detractors and critics again because they have the most users. If Apple had won the hardware wars and had the largest install base people would be complaining about them too. Funny how everyone wants to be successful and rich, but nobody wants the other guy to be.
Angry Guy -- Your boat would need to be patched often if people kept shooting at it. There are myriad hackers out there trying to shoot holes in IE every day for fun and profit.
I know this joke is worn out, but...people still use Internet Explorer?
Alas, most companies use it as the standard browser and MOST gubbamint sites.
I work two different jobs... one uses IE 7 and the other uses IE 5. It's so bad that a lot of website's functionality isn't compatible with my browser.
IE 5? Are you kidding me, you deserve a virus just for using that still, what do you run Windows ME or 98.
My very same thoughts!
It's not my choice what I run... IT is in charge of all software and we aren't allowed to change it at all.
IE has the largest usage share -- depending on the source, anywhere from upper 20%'s to over 50%. Says a lot about the joke teller, eh?
Since my two computers (desktop and laptop) have automatic updates anyway, both machines have been updated to Interent Explorer 9.0.5 now. Mind you, I use Google Chrome 17.0 as my main web browser, though. :)
Wait... you mean a Microsoft product has a security vulnerability?!
I KNOW!!! quelle surprise...
People are still using IE?
Who uses IE?
every one will .after sky net i mean ms takes over the world
IE sucks, get rid of it
Never used Internet Exploder. Chrome is the fastest.
OK, I'lll start the flame wars. I use Linux as my main operating system. I don't have these problems.
Ok,
Let me expand on my post 1.4. The only real reason the Apple and Linux don't have the reported flaws is that they are still small potatoes compared to MS. A terrorist is not going to go to Podunk KS to set of a car bomb, but is going to go to downtown big city. I think all OS's are good and serve to keep the others somewhat honest and competitive. But MS is just as much a victim of these hackers as are the users of the OS. Linux and Apple have these flaws. If you follow the security groups that try to penetrate the different OS's they all get cracked within hours of each other. But since a Linux attack only effects a small portion of the market, its not going to have the effect intended as if its MS. I'm not trying to defend MS, just trying to shine the light where it really needs to be.
Heck - I prefer a rock and chisel.
@Grumpy61 - I don't necessarily disagree with you. And that is STILL why I use Linux. It works for me and I don't have the perpetual problems.....for now. Maybe someday, or not. It works for me today and that's enough.
Bob, you ever read the release notes for new distros that come out? They continually fix bugs and flaws in linux too.
Mitchell
Interrupted Execution by Microjunk. If users understood the internals of windoze and just how defective it really is they would never use it. Gates should be delivering pizzas. But most Americans are like goper minions, dumb as a rock.
Most popular OS in the world and translated into god only knows how many different languages, but I'm sure you're right. Let me guess, UNIX?
"Most popular OS in the world..." Not only that, but Windows is actually the most popular software product in the world.
Thank God that turd of a browser hasn't spent a nanosecond on my Mac.
(In before super original Apple user attack)
I do all my updates when I get ready. Soo many issues are always being discovered & its ALWAYS "a remote unathenticated hacker can take over your system". I'm totally numb to that. So until i can run everything on linux I just accept the risk & move on. Also it helps if you dont go searching the web for "free" everything. I just use the bare minium software I need & call it a day.
I just use NCSA Mosaic. No support for java script, frames, CSS, flash. Nearly 100% safe!
/sarcasm
Why not just go to lynx altogether ;-)
Mitchell
if most PC users were granted observation skills and common sense hackers would go out of business or revert to stealing the old fashioned way, if you know there's a good chance of a virus on a page you want to view than avoid it, if that email you got from your friend doesn't look like something they would send ask them about it before you open it, always second guess anything that looks questionable, if you think you got infected than do a virus scan with updates immediately and always have your Internet browser set to delete all forms of history and cache do there's nothing for them to look thru and cookie viruses usually get erased every time you exit the browser that way as well.
Did I miss something. I went to get the bulletin and was given the runaround by the MS site. First bulletin was for Office 2003 (I have 2010), the second one was for "servers."
Is this bulletin for home owners?
Internet Explorer and Windows security problems began when the browser was integrated with the OS Kernel and Shell. If Microsoft fixed that problem a more robust secure browser in its own memory space might result. And I thought they fixed or patched those problems along time ago.
Most of the simple URL bar hacks could be eliminated, And a virtual proxy network layer could be implemented. As well as additional transparent malicious script detection that doesn't get passed to the browser or the OS.
It would also be a good idea to reconfigure your edge routers IP address provided by your ISP or TELCO carrier, and change your internal LAN network address blocks, NETBIOS computer names (the workgroup and computer name you gave your computer when you Installed windows (hacked at that time), should also be changed and there is a logical way and number of steps to do that. It may also be a good idea to undo all your social networking and reconfigure that to see where one may have compromised their own system and minimize that potential for social networking exploits. Flushing the DNS cache is also an important step before allowing the system or network to return online, and having run virus scans, even if you have to drop to a bootable floppy to do that.
On a home computer Inbound NETBIOS Transports are unneccessary and the Windows firewall should be explored to see what you're allowing access to. (Caught Red Handed MSNBC with trying to acquire Facebook access). If you don't have any need or use for IPV6 it can all be disabled. People really need to be aware of the programs they install and are unaware of what level of access they may have allowed access to through the firewall. Any ghost user accounts that may have been created by a program can also be disabled when not being used.
Microsoft should streamline these processes where the user can have a one click secure capability, or an automated capability that doesn't inadvertently allow known exploitable methods in programs or reverse engineered software-malware,
So there may be some wondering how I disappeared off their radar.
And don't forget to change the wireless portion of your networking in all devices.
One click network disabling or even an AFK timer on your NICS and wireless network cards or embedded chips would also be a useful defensive measure for consumers.
Ping
do yourself a favor and use firefox or chrome. stupid microsoft......