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Microsoft today released an emergency patch for Internet Explorer versions back to version 5.01 to fix a gaping security hole that was being exploited so massively that security experts were recommending that people stop using Internet Explorer entirely until it was fixed. Since the bad guys were exploiting it before Microsoft knew it existed, the exploit is termed "zero day" because that is how much notice Microsoft got of the problem. It is also termed an "drive-by" exploit since a user could pick up a malware infestation by merely using IE to browse any of thousands of compromised websites. In short, it was really nasty stuff.
Here are the emergency patch details from Microsoft:
This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, and Internet Explorer 7. For information about Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, please see the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.
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Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately.
Aside from the table of download locations listed at the above link, the emergency patch is also available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update.
Over the last week there have been a number of reports of automated SQL injection attacks on Web sites running Microsoft’s flagship IIS Web server. The Washington Post’s Brian Krebs summarizes them nicely in Hundreds of Thousands of Microsoft Web Servers Hacked.
If there is any good news in this, it is that the server modifications so far only amount to the addition of a Javascript malware loader on site Web pages. While this loader will infect unpatched browsers (and apparently RealPlayer and Yahoo Instant Messenger), the browser holes that it exploits are not new and patches have previously been made available. The status on RealPlayer and Yahoo IM is currently unclear.
It isn’t entirely clear whether there is actually a vulnerability in IIS or it’s just the usual problem of Web programmers not sanitizing user input, but Microsoft has issued a security advisory (951306) with workarounds.
Update: Microsoft’s Bill Sisk says that the problem is due to poor Web programming practices and not any IIS vulnerability and also that security advisory 951306 is for a different problem.
Anand, a Microsoft security program manager reveals via the Inside Windows Live Messenger blog that Microsoft is forcing Live Messenger users to upgrade to version 8.1 before any further usage due to a security exposure in earlier versions.
It’s hard to get excited about Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday since its arrival is inevitable as death and taxes, so ”Microsoft fixes 14 flaws in biggest patch day since February” isn’t much of an eyebrow raiser, but Todd Bishop points out one interesting patch for Vista Gadgets:
