A major vulnerability has been discovered which renders
Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) open to exploitation. The various versions of the Internet browser enjoy around 50% of the global browser market share, and news of the vulnerability is a major blow to the corporation. The issue impacts IE versions 6 to 11 and could enable a hacker to get the user rights to a personal computer.
So serious is the IE problem that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States has issued a warning that people should not use this browser until a fix has been established. This will likely be delivered through Microsoft’s regular update function that maintains Personal Computer software.
The threat to IE will be especially pertinent to anyone who continues to use Window’s XP. Support for this software ended last week meaning there will be no more security updates for this version of the Microsoft operating system. As a result, it might prove significantly easier for a hacker to penetrate a computer that uses XP. As XP support has ended, no fixes will be in the pipeline. Windows XP is used on around a third of PCs and widely utilized for financial systems like ATM machines.
Have you been hit by IE’s vulnerability? Let us know the details. Add your comments below.
