Microsoft has announced that every version of Internet Explorer since version 6 has a massive security flaw that allows hackers to place viruses directly onto your PC, even if you are running up-to-date anti-virus protection.
And yes, this includes YOUR version of Internet Explorer so there is really no reason to check.
All you have to do to have your PC “catch” a virus is to visit an infected website with your Internet Explorer web browser. That’s all. You don’t have to click on anything, just visit the site, and wham – you’re infected!
So far the hackers have been delivering the viruses that exploit this security flaw primarily via Adobe Flash, but Adobe has just released an updated version of flash that addresses the issue. I recommend visiting this page ASAP to download the updated Flash version.
The Adobe patch is just a stop-gap measure for the moment however. In fact, the hackers started using alternative virus delivery methods immediately after the Abobe patch was announced.
The only real fix has to come directly from Microsoft themselves in the form of a patch for Internet Explorer – and so far they haven’t released one. To be safe in the meantime, update Flash at the link mentioned above. And if you REALLY want to avoid being hit by this exploit, I strongly recommend using an alternate web browser instead of IE.
If you don’t have one of them already, you can download an alternative browser at one of the links below:
And now one final note: Microsoft is adamant that there will be no patch for this exploit coming if you’re still using Windows XP. Period. Therefore, if you plan to keep using Windows XP, using Internet Explorer will ALWAYS leave your PC vulnerable to viruses, even after all other versions have been patched.
Important: Since this post addresses a serious security flaw, I hope you’ll consider sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks.