Microsoft has finally released its security patch for Internet Explorer. It will be a relief for fans of the most popular browser, but there may still dangers lurking under the hood of millions of computers users.
Even before the security hole became widely publicised, hackers were already exploiting the vulnerabilities and launching attacks on unsuspecting IE users [FT blog]. The holes in IE security weren’t widely publicised and many people may still be open to attack from the unscrupulous hackers phishing for information. Sky News and the BBC made only scant mention of the risk associated with the web-browser. CNN made a small mention of the story but in the main most would have learnt of the risk via the internet itself as word of mouth spread around the globe. Even after the release of the patch the Fox News website was still informing readers that the risk continued and advised internet users to avoid IE.
For those who have updated their browser it is advisable to run anti-virus software after installing any available updates. The update may need to be initiated by some users by going to update.microsoft.com and clicking the ‘check for updates’ button on the window. The updates may only be accessible by using Internet Explorer and security in the program might also need to be reduced to ‘Medium’ in some cases.
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