Microsoft has released an out-of-band patch for Internet Explorer 6 to fix a vulnerability used against Google and other U.S. companies. While Microsoft noted the vulnerability also affects IE7 and IE8, the exploit code found so far targets only IE6. A security expert said the IE vulnerability is dangerous and further attacks are likely.
If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 or 7 now is the time to upgrade to explorer 8. To determine the version of Internet Explorer you are running open up a brower window and simply click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu or press Alt + H and then press A.
Basically every version of Internet Explorer contains a Data Execution Prevention (DEP) vulnerability. But each newer version of the browser is improved in handling attacks. So Explorer 8 is much more secure than Explorer 6.
It makes sense to update your web browser but don't forget about your operating system. Windows 7 has added an extra level of protection beyond (DEP) called Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). Windows 7 is a much more secure OS and the recent Chinese hack should act as a reminder to small businesses like yours who may be on the fence about upgrading from Windows XP.
Timesaver Tip of the Month:
Stop typing out entire web addresses. http://www.google.com or http://www.msn.com. Instead simply type in google or msn then press Ctrl + Enter. This adds the (www) and the (.com) onto any word you enter in the address field.
Author: Josh