Out-of-band IE patch to fix widespread vulnerability
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Microsoft will issue a patch to its Internet Explorer browser software before its next scheduled update, intended to fix the flaw that enabled hackers to launch a damaging cyber attack on numerous U.S. companies.
The company confirmed today that it would release the out-of-band patch in response to the "significant level of attention this issue has generated, confusion about what customers can do to protect themselves and the escalating threat environment." The company continued to recommend that users upgrade to Internet Explorer 8, which is believed to provide better network security against the known exploit, in addition to installing a previous patch that could help protect vulnerable machines.
Microsoft traditionally releases patches only on the first Tuesday of each month, a ritual known in the IT world as "Patch Tuesday," and only rarely breaks the pattern, generally in case of the discovery of a critical vulnerability.
No set date has been announced for the emergency patch's release, but Microsoft is expected to announce that information tomorrow, according to CNET. Internet Explorer 6 is the primary target of the exploit, but other versions of the software are also thought to be vulnerable.
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