The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has issued a “cyber security alert” warning that vulnerabilities in ActiveX and Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to seize control of computers running Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer.
“Disabling ActiveX will prevent exploitation of this and other ActiveX vulnerabilities,” the alert said. It said instructions for disabling ActiveX can be found by going to the alert, at www.us-cert.gov/cas/alerts/SA06-258A.html, and clicking on “Securing Your Web Browser” and “4 steps to help ward off hackers and attackers.”
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If an attacker convinces a computer user to visit a Web site via Internet Explorer, US-CERT said, “the attacker could then take any action as the user, including installing malicious software and accessing sensitive personal information.”
The agency urges users to not click on unsolicited URLs (Web addresses), including those received in e-mail, instant messages, Web forums or IRC channels.
According to the agency, Microsoft Corp. has said “We are currently investigating the issue to determine the appropriate course of action. We will include the fix for this issue in an upcoming security bulletin.”
Other announcements and security recommendations can be found at the US-CERT home page, www.us-cert.gov, and in the agency’s listing of current alerts.
