Microsoft is distributing an update that eliminates the Internet Explorer (IE) browser vulnerability which was found recently. Although earlier this month the corporation had said that it would no longer support Windows XP, the update is also being pushed out to users of its redundant Operating System (OS).
The update will be applied to all versions of the browser that have been impacted by the vulnerability. These include versions 6 to 11, which combined represent 50% of the browser market.
The Internet Explorer browser vulnerability allowed hackers to gain user rights and take over PCs. When it was reported it was unclear as to whether XP would receive an update to fix the issue. Given the severity of the issue – the Department of Homeland Security in the United States gave a warning not to use Internet Explorer until a fix had been established – the corporation did a u-turn on its XP support decision.
"Even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, we've decided to provide an update for all versions of Windows XP," explained Microsoft’s General Manager of Trustworthy Computing Adrienne Hall on the corporation’s blog. "We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP."
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