A couple of days ago, Microsoft issued a warning regarding a security vulnerability in their Internet Explorer browser. This vulnerability affects several versions of the browser and also those running on Windows XP, which is no longer supported which makes things a little worse. The alternative is to use a different browser but it seems that for those who don’t think the issue is that bad, think again.
The severity of the vulnerability is bad enough to the point where both the US and UK governments have issued warnings and have asked users to stop using the browser until the issue has been patched. For those unfamiliar with the vulnerability, it basically allows attackers to install malware on your computer without your permission, after which they are able to gain control and access to your computer.
According to the security firm FireEye who discovered the vulnerability, the flaw is based on a known Flash exploit technique and applies to Internet Explorer versions as old as IE 6 all the up to IE 11. For those who are using Internet Explorer because they don’t know how to install an alternative, or who prefer the browser, one way to continue using it would be to disable the Flash plug-in.
There is also Microsoft’s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit, although it has been said that the best way to protect yourself and your computer would simply to use a different browser.
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