Microsoft has warned users of its Internet Explorer browser that there exists a potentially harmful security bug within its software and has yet to release a fix.
Making the announcement on its security website, Microsoft warned that across all versions of its browser, there exists a flaw in its security system which would allow a person with an understanding of code to create a ‘remote code execution’ which would let the attacker host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website.
It is understood that the online security company FireEye were the first to find the fault and who had subsequently alerted Microsoft about the bug.
More worryingly however, there does not appear to be any mainstream fix for the bug as of yet, unless a user’s computer has its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) software installed which will mitigate the problem.
The users most likely to be affected are those running Windows XP which, as of 8 April, will no longer be provided support officially through Microsoft, despite a number of private companies offering to continue on the lifespan of the operating system.
Internet Explorer still remains the world’s most-used browser, according to NetMarketshare with just under 58pc using it, most of which include businesses.
