How to Address the Latest Internet Explorer Security Vulnerability
The US-CERT National Cyber Awareness System is warning systems administrators to take heed to Microsoft’s latest security disclosure (MS15-009) and to address the risks quickly. The US-CERT team has highlighted this specific patch due to the severity of the vulnerability (includes Remote Code Execution, Elevation of Privilege, Information Disclosure, and Security Feature Bypass risks) and because one of the more than 40 vulnerabilities was publicly disclosed. While no exploits appear to have been published yet, we encourage users to address the risk with urgency because hackers have now been made aware of the numerous attack surfaces and will be able to exploit this vulnerability on unpatched systems quickly.
For a great technical breakdown on this vulnerability, you might want to review this article. The specific vulnerabilities described exist within Microsoft Internet Explorer, and therefore use of an alternate browser can mitigate the threat.
If a computer user were to use Internet Explorer (IE) or any application that embeds IE to view a specially crafted web page this software exploit could allow a remote attacker to take complete control of the affected system. This software exploit allows attackers to gain administrative privileges, which could impact an entire network and thereby allow access to any data stored on user computers or corporate servers. One special note from Microsoft: Your system will not be fully protected until you have installed both update 3021952 and 3034196. Please be sure to double check your systems to see that both patches have been applied before considering the process complete.
The most effective resolution is to immediately run Windows Update on all PCs and servers and install all Internet Explorer updates. Then reboot and repeat the process until both 3021952 and 3034196 are listed in the list of installed updates.
Swift Systems installs Microsoft updates for all of our managed IT services and contract customers as part of their regularly scheduled maintenance. If you manage your own system security, Swift recommends that your IT staff run a Microsoft Windows update on all systems ASAP.
Swift Systems is aware that security threats are constantly changing and evolving and we work diligently to protect our networks and yours at all times.
Please call Swift IT at 301.682.5100 or email sales@swiftsystems.com if you have any questions or concerns.
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