If you run Windows XP and have it set for automatic updates from Microsoft, you may have noticed the little symbol that appeared yesterday on your screen down by the clock. It is a small yellow shield with an exclamation point on it. That means Microsoft has some new Windows fixes ready for downloading and installation.
If you don't have automatic updates enabled, I strongly suggest you hop on over to the Microsoft website and check for critical updates. It will tell you what you need to download, then do it for you.
This newest monthly update from Microsoft fixes four critical flaws for Internet Explorer that I described in my blog on 12/3/05. If you use IE as your web browser of choice, it is very important that you download these updates ASAP! If not, you are vulnerable to someone planting malicious code on your computer to take it over and download personal information from your system and even use it as part of a denial-of-service attack. They will have complete control of your computer without you knowing it.
Microsoft has warned that the hole is actively being exploited to download malicious code to vulnerable systems. Security-monitoring company Secunia deems the problem "extremely critical," its rarely given highest rating.
The browser security update also tackles part of the fallout from Sony BMG Music Entertainment's rootkit debacle (see my blogs of 11/4/05 and 4/11/05). The browser security update will make it impossible to run older versions of an ActiveX control released by the record label. The software was designed to defuse the issues with an antipiracy tool, but was found to have security problems of its own.
So, even if you use some other browser besides IE, such as Firefox, Maxthon or Opera, you still need to get these updates because all of us still have to use IE sometimes. For Maxthon users it is even more critical as Maxthon uses the IE engine to operate. Firefox and Opera are not vulnerable to the IE flaws described here, but all of us, no matter what computer we use, are vulnerable to the Sony Rootkit attack.
If you use an older Microsoft Windows system, such as Windows 2000 or Windows 3.1, you need to check if you can get updates for your browser. I doubt that there are fixes as Microsoft no longer supports these operating systems. In that case, I suggest you get Firefox or Opera immediately.
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