Critical Flaw Allows Attackers to Take Control of Windows XP Systems
April 27th, 2014I thought we would see something like this within a week of XP’s 8 April end of life date. It took a bit longer.
I’m pretty sure that I won’t post any more about this issue. It just worries me to see so many of you continuing to visit Cryptogon on browsers (especially MS Internet Explorer/Exploder) running on Windows XP.
Via: Computer World:
Microsoft on Saturday told customers that cyber-criminals are exploiting an unpatched and critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) using “drive-by” attacks.
“Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11,” the company said in a security advisory.
According to Microsoft, the attacks have been launched against IE users tricked into visiting malicious websites. Such attacks, dubbed “drive-bys,” are among the most dangerous because a vulnerable browser can be hacked as soon as its user surfs to the URL.
All currently-supported versions of IE are at risk, Microsoft said, including 2001’s IE6, which still receives patches on Windows Server 2003. The same browser will not be repaired on Windows XP, as the operating system was retired from patch support on April 8.
