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Microsoft Patches "Google Hack" Flaw In IE

Posted by timothy on from the you-saw-this-coming dept.

An anonymous reader writes "As expected, Microsoft has issued an out-of-band security patch to address a remote code execution hole in Internet Explorer that was used in the recent Chinese attacks disclosed by Google. Ars Technica has all the download links you need."

12 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Microsot by SimonTheSoundMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ugh, Microsoft! Get it right.

    1. Re:Microsot by draconx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, what slashdot needs are editors: people who read and correct errors in written works prior to publication.

  2. Quick turnaround! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This just goes to show that OSS is better because the fixes come out fas...

    oh this was IE?

    Oh...

    I mean... this patch just goes to show the lax security and horrendous coding of IE!

    (In all seriousness, it's actually quite nice to see the hole fixed and tested in such a quick time. I think MS actually deserves kudos for the quick turnaround and out-of-band release)

    1. Re:Quick turnaround! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      The cynic in me wonders iff this wasn't such a visible and highlighted Google highlighted would they bothered to push it sooner or even at all or even to let people know there is a problem

      Could you repeat that? My gibberish-to-english translator is on smoke break, and I'm nowhere near as fluent as he...

    2. Re:Quick turnaround! by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No it goes to show how fast MS can release a patch (and out of their normal cycle) when face with a large amount of negative PR. Normal vulnerabilities usually have to wait til Patch Tuesday. But when Google announces that IE was to blame in a large number of attacks, both France and Germany advises their citizens not to use IE for a while, MS better patch it sooner than later.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    3. Re:Quick turnaround! by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It only proves my point. MS sat on the bugs for months and only released a patch after public disclosure by Google. How much longer would have they sat on them if it wasn't for the bad PR.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  3. WTF! FORCED SHUTDOWN by indi0144 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It will force shutdown even if you don't check the box at the end of the installer. How can this be so wrong at so many levels.

    1. Re:WTF! FORCED SHUTDOWN by mrjohnson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Rebooting to upgrade a browser is at least five levels of wrong!

  4. Shutdown IS the fix by syousef · · Score: 4, Funny

    It will force shutdown even if you don't check the box at the end of the installer. How can this be so wrong at so many levels.

    You don't get it. Shutting down your computer IS the security fix. If you start it up again, you're back where you started - with Windows and IE.

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  5. Re:Google has BACKED DOWN in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually they haven't removed censorship yet. They would be talking with the Chinese government about a way to provide an uncensored search within the law.

    "We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China."

    A new approach to China

    So, we're still on hold as to if they will remove censorship.

  6. What if IE could be uninstalled? by davet2001 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Since I never use IE and never intend to, it's a shame that there's no uninstall option in XP.

    Removing IE would save me bandwidth on all the patches and more importantly spare me the forced reboots.

    I'd probably find that a lot of rendered local text would stop working without IE such as help pages, but I usually find google more effective than built in help these days any way.

  7. Re:Google has BACKED DOWN in China by phantomcircuit · · Score: 4, Informative

    Looks pretty un-censored to me. images:tiananmen square