Reuters reports today that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has repaired the security error in Internet Explorer, which allowed hackers to take advantage of some IE users. The attacks were enough to cause the German government and several security experts to ask people to temporarily seek another browser, in order to protect personal information.
The security breach was finally identified by a Luxembourg based security researcher on Friday. He had been seeking answers to the issue for a year, after his computer was infected during an online session, in which he was analyzing a computer server. The server was being used to launch an online espionage campaign against several chemical producers and defense contractors, in an attempt to gain information.
AlienVault, a network security firm, announced on Tuesday, they had located three other servers who hosted sites containing the malware, and that it was targeting defense contractors, and not the general public. These sites were not attempting to phish the computers of the average user, but rather to seek information from large companies involved in the defense program’s web of suppliers.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced yesterday that the permanent repair patch for Internet Explorer would be available on Friday. The software company urged users to set their computers to automatically download the update, as it will help protect their information from hackers and malware. Most users have already set their computers to download this update, and if you use Internet Explorer as your browser, it is highly recommended you do the same. While the hackers were targeting companies in this go around, it will not be long before someone, with malicious intent toward other users, discovers a way to use it to retrieve personal information from the average person on the Internet.
Internet Explorer was the second most used web browser last month, according to StatCounter. It placed second to Google’s Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Chrome browser, which many users have found to be more adaptive and simple to use. Internet Explorer commanded a 33% market share, while Chrome just barely edged ahead with 34%.
