Microsoft releases patch for IE

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.

Microsoft ready to launch security patch

Microsoft is set to launch an emergency patch to repair a large security hole that has become evident in all versions of Internet Explorer. While internet users wait to patch up their security many have turned to other browsers. There are several alternatives to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, but while most offer a secure browsing environment, all have their own faults, glitches and bugs.


Google Chrome, which recently came out of beta, has cleaned up some of the problems that existed in earlier versions but many users remain unsatisfied with the program. While fast, there are few of the features that users of other popular browsers will be familiar. There is no Google Toolbar which can provide quick shortcuts to regularly visited sites and there are bizarre anomalies when attempting to copy links from the address bar into documents. While attempting to copy and paste a link into Microsoft Works Word Processor a message greets the user: “The information you copied exceeds the size limit for pasting into the Word Processor. Try reducing the size of your selection and then copy and paste again”. However pasting the same into Microsoft Word does work, but many users of Microsoft’s new operating system Vista will find themselves without this much used programme.


Mozilla’s Firefox has gained a large user base, though still well below that of Internet Explorer, but not everything works swimmingly. Many websites simply won’t open properly in the browser, and web publishing through Firefox can cause problems in other browsers. Foreign language support is a particular issue that is failing in the browser. But in its favour Firefox is relatively fast, though start-up is still slightly slower than IE, and the browser does come with many of the familiar add-ons seen in IE. Some though remain unavailable including the ‘download video’ facility for the popular Realplayer.


Flock is perhaps not as well known but is popular amongst those who participate in a great deal of so called social networking. However, there are similar issues, as with Google Chrome, of copying and pasting links, even into the compose pages of blogger. The layout can also appear very complicated and perhaps overwhelming to many.


Safari and Opera are perhaps the least used of the Internet browsers. Safari, which started life as a Mac specific browser, has spawned its Windows version but has yet to be taken up in vast numbers, despite claims of being the fastest of all the available browsers. Opera is mostly seen in mobile phones and while it has achieved a positive reception amongst desktop users there remains a number of compatibility issues. It remains the 5th most popular browser after Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
In usage terms Internet Explorer is the most popular browser with over 71% using the program. Firefox is second but only shares 20% of the market. Safari has a small but loyal 6% of Internet users though many are only on Macs. Both Opera and Chrome have less than 1% of the market share while other browsers fall well below that figure.


Despite the problems plaguing Microsoft’s browser, and with many making temporary use of other browsers, most will probably return to IE. There will be some who find Firefox fires up better, and some may find Chrome more shiny than expected. There may even be some who flocked to Flock and feel sheepish about returning to IE. Some might also start singing the praises of Opera. But most will return to where they feel most comfortable and where the surroundings are familiar. The next dilemma is whether to uninstall the half a dozen or so browsers that some have placed on their PCs [Mashable].

Microsoft is set to release the security patch at 18:00 GMT/UTC [13:00 EST] via all the usual routes [BBC / CNN / Sky News]

Media fail to report major Internet risk

Millions of computer users around the world are at risk after Chinese security experts inadvertently revealed holes in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. The vulnerability was first revealed last week by the Chinese security team Knownsec. It said on Tuesday 9th December it mistakenly released exploit code thinking that the problem was already patched, iDefense said [computerworld].

Unfortunately there was no patch and by the weekend around 0.2% of the world’s computers has been “exposed to websites containing exploits of this latest vulnerability according to researchers Ziv Mador and Tareq Saade on their blog. The hole enables hackers to place code on websites which enable them to steal passwords from subsequent visitors. Initially the affected sites appeared to be pornographic websites, however the problem has grown significantly with many other sites now affected. Security experts warned that the number of affected sites was growing exponentially and while some attacks were launched to steal passwords to online gaming their was an increased risk the exploit could be used to steal more sensitive data.

By Sunday many security experts were advising PC users to use a different web browser, such as Firefox, Flock or Google Chrome, until Microsoft came up with a solution. But it was only on Tuesday morning that major news organisations began to cover the story. Many may still be unaware of the risk as the item is buried away in the tech pages of news websites and the back pages of newspapers. The BBC mentioned the news on their website at 09:20 GMT but their 24 hour news channel did not report the ‘Breaking News’ until 11:15 GMT, about a week after the exploit was discovered!

As for a solution, it is unclear when Microsoft, who only recently issued its biggest group of patches in five years, will release a patch for this vulnerability. Such patches often take time to develop and a scheduled patch release is not due until 13th January 2009. An emergency release may come but until then computer users are told to be extra vigilant with their online activity.

Microsoft advises users to use IE in protected mode, but this is only available to Vista users. Symantec gave a far more comprehensive ‘work around’ but many users would probably be baffled by the list.

The news of the security failure could not have come at a worse time for Microsoft as it prepares to launch a new operating system Sky News. Windows 7 may not be out for some time but with more and more holes appearing in Microsoft products, many computer users may start to look elsewhere.