Internet Explorer Exploit For Windows XP - How to Assure Your Data Is Safe
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Internet Explorer Exploit For Windows XP - How to Assure Your Data Is Safe
Is Your Data Safe After his Suspicious Internet Explorer Exploit Was Found?
Internet Explorer Exploit could be wrecking more havoc than you know. It’s an internet browser that you and probably 1 out of 3 people use to make a google search or the more politically correct Bing search because they are both Microsoft products.
Seriously, though. If you are using Internet Explorer and Windows XP you probably want to get a patch to cover up this huge hole left by the Internet explorer exploit and will allow hackers to get into your computer and steal all your information and next thing you know, you have an identity theft case on your hands.
So what is this Internet Explorer zero-day exploit?
Well it’s what they call a “zero-day” vulnerability. The technical term means that this vulnerability will be placed on your hard drive via a malicious website, or hacker in the lowest level area of your operating system. So, essentially if you get this exploit on your computer you’re stuck with it until it gets wiped off your hard drive.
I know that most people think they can just delete this vicious attack through the operating system, however they couldn’t be more wrong (if that’s even a term..lol…It’s better than wronger).
The process of getting rid of this malicious attack involves erasing your hard drive completely and then loading your operating system back onto your hard drive. That’s the only way to be sure that your data is safe!
While there are some tools that can backup your data like ghost, most people don’t have this available to them and will have to call techie to have them fix it. Usually something like this will take about 3 to 4 hours to fix and you’re looking at 50 bucks an hour as a standard, you’re going to spend about $200!
It all depends on how valuable your data is and whether or not you backed your data up somewhere else like Dropbox, or google drive.
Microsoft defines this problem like this:
The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated. The vulnerability may corrupt memory in a way that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user within Internet Explorer. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website.
You might find it quite suspicious that Microsoft is not going to provide you a patch if you are still running Windows XP. Support for Windows XP ended on April 7, 2014. this will be the first zero-day attack that will not get attention from Microsoft.
Is another thought that you may not have thought about in regards to Windows XP and the Internet Explorer exploit. Companies are scrambling right now to switch their machines over to Windows 7 because Microsoft is no longer supporting them and there could be fines for having Windows XP in production per their EULA.
So when you think companies and Internet Explorer exploits you could also think the government may have these already other machines and one thing leads to another…
Could your information be at risk through the IRS? The answer is a resounding yes! Hackers are not above hacking into files at IRS or any other level of government – locally or internationally.
Fortunately, the IRS has paid Millions to the IRS for Custom Support. That means two things to me and probably you as well.
Your files are probably safer than you or I think because without your data safe, the IRS would no longer be an entity that would be able to come knocking for our hard-earned money due to all the irate people banging down their door.
All that money you and I paid them is being used to cover up a hole that should have been dealt with a year or two ago. So once again we have seen our government waste our hard-earned tax dollars due to their lack of planning or as some would call it, laziness.
I’m not going to speculate anymore on this but it does seem that this internet explorer exploit has got to make Microsoft a bit nervous as well due to the mere numbers of Windows XP users out there.
Something the website Gizmodo stated:
Microsoft is currently investigating the issue and will likely release an out-of-cycle security patch to take care of the problem.
And, Fire-Eye stated:
Collectively, in 2013, the vulnerable versions of IE accounted for 26.25% of the browser market.
So if you’re using internet explorer and just as I would have guessed, about a 1/4 of the population is using a version of IE 6-11 – you need to update as fast as you can and it may be a great time to upgrade your windows environment as well to Windows 7 or switch to a MAC. (I’m not a fan of Windows 8…at all!). The IE exploit will get you if you don’t upgrade from XP or find a patch for this.
Side note: is it just me, or do you think this internet explorer exploit was planned by Microsoft?
Just days after the support call ran out? Rather odd to me.
