The full patch will be released on Friday and delivered via Windows Update

Sep 20, 2012 06:39 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft today released the so-called “Fix It” utility that was specifically developed to protect users from the critical Internet Explorer vulnerability discovered a few days ago.

A full patch will be rolled out on Friday and will be delivered via Windows Update and the other standard distribution channels used by Microsoft, the company said in a blog post.

“We recommend that you install this update as soon as it is available. If you have automatic updates enabled on your PC, you won’t need to take any action – it will automatically be updated on your machine. This will not only reinforce the issue that the Fix It addressed, but cover other issues as well,” Yunsun Wee, director, Trustworthy Computing, explained.

The “Fix It” patch is not intended to be a replacement for the security patch, but it's only a workaround for the recently discovered flaw.

The tool is delivered as a standalone downloadable installer that performs all operations automatically, without requesting user input.

Microsoft confirmed two days ago that an Internet Explorer bug allows hackers to execute malicious code on vulnerable computers, including the installation of the Poison Ivy backdoor trojan.

Internet Explorer 10, the version that's currently available to Windows 8 users exclusively, is the only one that's fully secure, but previous iterations running on Windows XP, Vista and 7 are all affected.

Prior to the release of the “Fix It” tool, Microsoft also launched a workaround, advising users to make a series of modifications to their Internet settings in order to block websites from running malicious codes on vulnerable systems.

More information on this workaround is available here, while coverage on the exploit can be read here.

The new “Fix It” utility is published on the official Microsoft website.