Windows Live Messenger needs security patch for ATL flaw
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Microsoft will push out a mandatory upgrade this month for users of Windows Live Messenger versions 8.1, 8.5 and 14.0 to address vulnerabilities in the Active Template Library (ATL) that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.
Microsoft said users have the option to upgrade to the new version, release 14.0.8089. But starting in early October, all customers using versions 14.0 will be required to upgrade to the new version.
"We are committed to providing a safe, secure and positive experience for our more than 300 million customers across the globe using Windows Live Messenger every month," Microsoft said on the Windows Live blog.
The ATL flaw was the source of buggy code that necessitated an out-of-band security patch last month.
Microsoft had patched critical bugs in the ATL component of Visual Studio, which were related to an errant ampersand (&) in the code. Any software developed using the code remained vulnerable to attacks.
Adobe was affected by the ATL flaws in Flash Player and Shockwave Player, which the company had to patch on its own.
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