Microsoft today issued an emergency update to plug a critical security hole present in all versions of its Internet Explorer Web browser , a flaw that hackers have been leveraging to steal data from millions of Windows users .
Internet Explorer
microsoft today issue emergency update plug critical security hole present version internet explorer web browser flaw hacker leverage steal datum million windows user
Microsoft today issued an emergency update to plug a critical security hole present in all versions of its <m> Internet Explorer </m> Web browser , a flaw that hackers have been leveraging to steal data from millions of Windows users .
Microsoft Issues Emergency Patch to Curb Password-Stealing Hackers
Microsoft today issued an emergency update to plug a critical security hole present in all versions of its <m> Internet Explorer </m> Web browser , a flaw that hackers have been leveraging to steal data from millions of Windows users .
The patch , which Microsoft dubbed MS08-078 , fixes a security vulnerability that Microsoft says already has been used to attack more than 2 million Windows users .
As Security Fix and other members of the tech community have chronicled , attackers have been busy compromising thousands of Web sites by seeding them with code that installs password-stealing software on computer systems of Web site visitors who use Internet Explorer .
Microsoft estimated Monday that one in every 500 Windows users had been exposed to sites that try to exploit the flaw .
Additionally , it said the number of victims was increasing at a rate of 50 percent daily .
Vulnerability management company nCircle said Microsoft 's decision to issue the patch outside of its normal Patch Tuesday ( second Tuesday of each month ) cycle is wise , given the current exploitation of the flaw and because instructions for exploiting the flaw are now available online .
`` Given the ongoing attacks for this bug and because the technical details have been available to the public for over a week , this is clearly a high risk client side vulnerability that everyone should patch now , '' said Andrew Storms , director of security for nCircle .
This is an urgent update .
If you use Windows , apply this patch now .
Windows users can download the fix at Windows Update , or by enabling Automatic Updates .