A newly discovered security hole in its Internet Explorer (IE) web browser has led Microsoft Corp to issue a security advisory over the weekend. It warned customers of a coding flaw in IE versions 6 to 11 that allows hackers to gain the same level of access on a network computer as an authorized user.
According to Liam O Murchu, Research Manager with Symantec Corp, “There are no patches available. It is very difficult for people to protect themselves.” He informed that the danger with these types of attacks is that “they will mutate, and the attackers will find a way to evade the defenses we have in place.”
To mitigate the risk of infection, Microsoft has advised IE users to immediately install the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET). This free security tool can protect against ‘limited targeted attacks’ that Microsoft is aware about.
The flaw in IE was discovered on Friday by Eric Romang, a researcher in Luxembourg, when his PC was infected by the malicious software Poison Ivy. This software is used by hackers to steal data or take remote control of PCs. On analyzing the infection, he learned that Poison Ivy had gotten on to his system by exploiting a previously unknown bug, or “zero-day” vulnerability, in Internet Explorer.
Microsoft said hackers could host a “specially crafted website” containing content that could help them exploit the flaw. But they would still have to convince users to view the website to gain access to their computer. They could do this by getting them to click on to a link sent by email or instant messenger. The hacker would in “no way” be able to force users to view the content. If successful, a hacker could gain the same rights as the computer’s current user.
“An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights,” informed Microsoft. It also added, “IE on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 runs in a restricted mode, which “mitigates this vulnerability.”
Currently, Microsoft has not provided any timeframe for coming up with a better solution than EMET to fix the bug, but several security researchers said that the update could be expected within a week. The firm’s “appropriate” steps to fix the bug could include a solution through their monthly security update release process, an out-of-cycle security update, or a patch that would aid XP users.