US based software giant Microsoft has found a major flaw in its Internet Explorer browser. The giant has urged the users to update the Internet Explorer after they found out the fault. The memory corruption vulnerability of the browser allows the attackers to remotely execute code as if they were the users of the computer. This gives them a control of the computer.
The intimation about the flaw was given by Microsoft in a security notice. The attacker can set up a fake website that is designed to exploit the flaw and can entice the users to visit by emailing a link. The vulnerability comes on how Microsoft’s scripting engine handles the objects in the memory of the Internet Explorer. It is a process the update modifies. The company has also informed that it is used in targeted attacks but has not given any further details.
If the users have Windows Update enabled , like Microsoft always suggests you to do, the latest security updates should have downloaded to fix the issue automatically. The software giant has also noted that Clement Lecigne of Threat Analysis Group at Google had discovered the vulnerability. The company did not immediately respond for a request to comment on the issue.
The Internet Explorer has been one of the popular web browsers until 2016 and then came Google’s Chrome that swept the past. The popularity of Internet Explorer has been shadowed since then and it now accounts for less than 3 percent of website usage in November. The figures were mentioned by analytics firm StatCounter. Now Microsoft has shifted its browser focus on Edge which is getting a Chromium Based refresh. The software giant is rebuilding the Edge Browser on Chrome tech and the search engine giant gains that much more power on the web. The Chrome has become the most preferred browser among the internet users.
Photo Credits: RS Tech
