There are a number of web browser options out there available for your computer, but if you’re a PC user who doesn’t know much about the big, scary world of web browsers, then you’re probably an Internet Explorer user. And if you’re an Internet Explorer user, then Microsoft is urging you to update your browser immediately as they have found a new security hole over the weekend you’re not going to want to take a chance on.
The alert from Microsoft is directed at Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 users specifically as a new “zero day” security hole was discovered that could potentially allow hackers to control your system after visiting an infected website.
“An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. … an attacker could host a website that contains a webpage that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability.”
A patch is currently available to fix the security hole, which should now be available for your downloading pleasure. This is just another reminder that whatever web browser you choose to use, please always be sure it’s always the latest version as the older your version, the more likely you’ll run into some security issues.
Filed in . Read more about Internet Explorer and Microsoft.