Microsoft Internet Explorer Security Warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

First Response – Alternative Browsers

As you’ll read in the article below, the U.S. Department of Homeland security is recommending that people use alternative browsers until Microsoft provides a security update for Internet Explorer. Here are some alternative browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera

Note: In our Windows Setup checklist, we recommend the installation of several browsers when setting up a new computer — for security reasons and also because some websites are not properly viewed with some browsers. If a browser is ‘hijacked’ by malware, it is sometimes possible to switch to another browser and begin the process of cleaning up the computer.

Further Reading

The USA Today news coverage of this story is below. Further reading can be found in the following articles.

• CERT.org – “Microsoft Internet Explorer use-after-free vulnerability” (27 April 2014)
• CNET.com – “Stop using Microsoft’s IE browser until bug is fixed, US and UK warn” (28 April 2014)
• FireEye.com – “New Zero-Day Exploit targeting Internet Explorer Versions 9 through 11 Identified in Targeted Attacks” (26 April 2014)
• Microsoft.com – “Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution” (26 April 2014)
• NBCNews.com – “Serious Internet Explorer Bug Leaves Half of all Browsers Open to Hack“
• Symantec.com – “Zero-Day Internet Explorer Vulnerability Let Loose in the Wild” (27 April 2014)

USA Today News Story

Below is a new story from USA Today about this security vulnerability. (Source: “Homeland Security: Don’t use IE due to bug,” USA Today, 28 April 2014)

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SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Homeland security is advising Americans not to use the Internet Explorer Web browser until a fix is found for a serious security flaw that came to light over the weekend.

The bug was announced on Saturday by FireEye Research Labs, an Internet security software company based in Milpitas, Calif.

“We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem,” the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team said in a post Monday morning.

It recommended that users and administrators “consider employing an alternative Web browser until an official update is available.”

The security flaw allows malicious hackers to get around security protections in the Windows operating system. They then can be infected when visiting a compromised website.

Because the hack uses a corrupted Adobe Flash file to attack the victim’s computer, users can avoid it by turning off Adobe Flash.

“The attack will not work without Adobe Flash,” FireEye said. “Disabling the Flash plugin within IE will prevent the exploit from functioning.”

While the bug affects all versions of Internet Explorer six through 10 it is currently targeting IE9 and IE10, FireEye stated.

The attacks do not appear to be widespread at this time. Microsoft said it was “aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit” the vulnerability.

These are called “watering hole attacks,” said Satnam Narang, a threat researcher with computer security company Symantec in Mountain View, Calif..

Rather than directly reach out to a victim, the hackers inject their code into a “normal, everyday website” that the victim visits, he said. Code hidden on the site then infects their computers.

“It’s called a watering hole attack because if you’re a lion, you go to the watering hole because you know that’s where the animals go to drink.”

FireEye said the hackers exploiting the bug are calling their campaign “Operation Clandestine Fox.”

Microsoft confirmed Saturday that it is working to fix the code that allows Internet Explorer versions six through 11 to be exploited by the vulnerability. As of Monday morning, no fix had been posted.

Microsoft typically releases security patches on the first Tuesday of each month, what’s known as Patch Tuesday. The next oneis Tuesday, May 6. Whether the company will release a patch for this vulnerability before that isn’t known.

About 55% of PC computers run one of those versions of Internet Explorer, according to the technology research firm NetMarketShare. About 25% run either IE9 or IE10.

Computer users who are running the Windows XP operating system are out of luck. Microsoft discontinued support of the system on April 8.

Symantec is offering XP users tools to protect themselves, which it has made available on its blog.