Internet Explorer is dangerous for you to use

Hackers have already uncovered the first bug from the Windows XP running out of support, putting users at risk with a zero-day attack.

Now Microsoft has announced that Internet Explorer versions IE 6, IE 7, IE 8, IE 9, IE 10, IE 11, were at risk.

Windows XP is capable of running Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8.

The vulnerability is being characterized as a “remote code execution vulnerability”.

If you are running IE on your computer quit the browser. Use Firefox as an alternative. Anyone using IE is vulnerable to malicious software being installed onto your computer through the browser to extract data straight from your computer.

A successful attacker who infects a PC running as administrator would have the option to install malware on the system, create accounts under the users name, change or delete data, and alter storage settings on the PC.

The attack is presented by successfully convincing the users to click a link in an email or instant message.
The attacker can execute arbitrary code and take complete control of the system.

Usually when a user is running Windows, their PC is running under an administrator account.

When running IE, you can bulk up your security by going to Internet Options > Security and setting > set to High.

The alert on Saturday from Microsoft is the first to be a serious of issues for users still running Windows XP.  If you haven’t already, experts urge you to upgrade your software to a newer version.

Unfortunately, Microsoft can not patch Windows XP and has not yet issued a patch for IE.

It is suggested for avid IE users to download and install Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), a free tool that can help strengthen security on Windows.

EMET must be version 4.1 or higher to prevent an attack using this flaw.

Google Chrome or Mozilla’s Firefox is also suggested to use.

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References:
Critical zero-day endangers all versions of Internet Explorer — and XP isn’t getting a fix
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2148368/new-internet-explorer-zero-day-puts-web-at-risk-and-xp-isnt-getting-a-fix.html