14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft recently confirmed a critical security flaw in Internet Explorer that affects basically all versions of Windows currently on the market, including Windows XP which no longer receives updates and security patches.
The company issued an advisory a couple of days ago to confirm that attacks designed to exploit this vulnerability have already been spotted out there in the wild, but in an update rolled out today, Microsoft claims that a workaround involving the Enhanced Protected Mode can help users of Internet Explorer 10 and Internet Explorer 11 stay completely secure.
At the same time, Microsoft explained that its investigation continues and depending on how many exploits for the issue are being developed in the coming weeks, it might speed up the release of a patch.
The company says that normally it would release a fix on Patch Tuesday, but depending on consumer needs, it might actually roll it out a bit sooner.
“On completion of our investigation, Microsoft will take the appropriate action to protect our customers, which may include providing a solution through our monthly security update release process, or an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs,” Microsoft explained.
The flaw affects all Internet Explorer versions, but IE10 and 11 are the only ones protected against the exploits. Windows XP and the compatible versions are very likely to remain vulnerable to attacks, as Microsoft no longer provides patches for this particular operating system.
Still, Redmond notes that in order to exploit the flaw, an attacker first needs to get the user to a malicious website hosting malware, which can be then used to break into your computer.
“An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights,” it added.
As far as Windows XP users are concerned, security experts across the world are recommending them to move to a newer OS version as soon as possible and in case they need to delay the upgrade for one reason or another, switching from Internet Explorer to another browser is the best option. Both Google chrome and Mozilla Firefox will continue to receive updates for at least 1 more year.