This news is circulating on the network, newspapers such as CNN are already echoing it.
Vulnerability in Internet Explorer
The point is that a vulnerability (another one ...) has been discovered in Internet Explorer, which is more or less like this:
- A person creates a website with certain code, which will exploit this vulnerability
- They deceive, tempt or attract your attention by getting you to visit that site with Internet Explorer
- Ready, this was enough for the hacker who created the page to take control of your computer
- This will allow him to access your information ... for example, your passwords, emails, etc.
This is serious, because although we (those who read this blog) generally use Chromium / Chrome, Firefox or another browser, even banks and government institutions use Windows and we already know that the default browser is precisely Internet Explorer.
US government response
El US Department of Homeland Security. issued an alert to recommend that the use of Internet Explorer be avoided, at least until a solution is found to the attacks that have been taking place over the past few days.
However, while the problem is being solved, it is recommended to use other alternatives:
We recommend that users consider an alternative in their internet browser until further notice.
We are aware that a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is being actively exploited. This vulnerability affects all versions between IE 6 and 11 and can endanger the entire affected system
Indicated from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), dependent on the US administration.
Microsoft's response?
Simple, as always ... they are working to try to fix the problem as soon as possible.
And nothing more to add ... ¬_¬
Our network security
Every day we put more information about us on the internet, either on Facebook or we give it away in services like WhatsApp, WhatsApp Plus or similar. I was recently reading an article that showed how to steal the information of people who use WhatsApp, on Android, which confirms once again that there is already too much data of ours traveling through the air LOL!.
It is necessary to be communicated nowadays, that is why Facebook and others like WhatsApp are so popular (one of the reasons of course), but we must be very careful about what information we transmit through these channels, the protection that this security has (encryption, etc), because you never know who may be intercepting the traffic with something like Wireshark to steal our data.
Every day it is more and more simple to share our information, be communicated (for example, on YouTube there are a lot of videos that explain it to us, like the one I leave below) ... and I repeat, it is a good thing, but we must be very clear about the security measures that we must take into account.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4YagfoVnlg
I want to leave you a link to a post that we publish here about internet safetyIt is not a bible or something similar but it will explain several aspects to take into account:
Nothing more to add, only to urge those who still use Internet Explorer to change that browser, not only is it not very functional, insecure and slow, but there are better alternatives with zero cost.
In fact it is already fixed. Unless you use Windows XP, since it is not supported, the security update has not arrived and will not reach this platform. Cheers
The ActiveX plugin system is the weakest out there. This system of plugins cannot be sandboxed to the plugins that are installed.
I had understood that embeded windows XP has extended support for two more years and that a normal XP can be converted to embeded.
XP Embedded maybe. But just plain XP no more. And no, you can't convert a normal to embedded. XP Embedded is a custom designed XP with an IDE that allows you to add components and create a kernel with only the things that interest you. It is very useful in companies that want a Windows technology solution but not all the overhead of a full XP. I worked with that in the penultimate company I worked for. I still did not see the light of Linux 😉
PS: At that time I did consider Linux, but the system required that if a box was turned off (it was a POS of a very large supermarket chain) it had to maintain the integrity of the data. Back then there was only ext2 and we know what happens when you abruptly shut down an ext2 system. Yes, it can be corrected by hand and stuff, but you can't put a cashier to do it and you can't put the entire department. IT to fix boxes due to a blackout. For that reason XP Embedded won.
Where did you get that information, what is the source?
For now you can read on CNN: http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2014/04/28/una-falla-de-internet-explorer-permite-que-los-hackers-controlen-tu-computadora/
I always say that to avoid risks it is best to be informed and have a lot of common sense. Almost always the most catastrophic accidents can be avoided by having these two things (of course there are nuances).
Internet Explorer is the slowest and most insecure browser of all. I don't know why people keep using it unless they are very ignorant or… no, it must be ignorance.
Hahahaha I just realized that I'm on Windows (thanks, work). My comment now seems to be harakiri.
Don't worry, I'm more tied to proprietary design applications than to Windows itself (so far, I can't get used to GIMP, Inkscape and / or other tools).
Are you referring to the ActiveX bug? If it's that plugin system, I haven't used Internet Explorer seriously for a long time (and by the way, Flash Player released a "security" update for all platforms, including version 11.2 of GNU / Linux).
Let's see if IE leaves Active X and uses at least the Pepper plugins or Netscape plugins (I left Active X and IE a long time ago).
Very recently the United States officially recognized that it uses security flaws to spy, it seems that this flaw does not serve to hide it for its Cybersecurity purposes.
Well, those statements deserve a triple facepalm (one or two is not enough).
I do not know which is more funny ... see another serious security flaw in internet explorer or see that the US government, which has already shown that it is totally unethical, recommends not using a browser because it is unsafe. when they violate your security and that of other users, no matter what browser you use (they are the real danger on the web).
There is only one browser that has my confidence and this is Firefox 😀
And their forks (Debian Iceweasel, GNU IceCat, Lolifox {RIP},…).
Anyway, Firefox on GNU / Linux, gained my trust for its speed in contrast to its version for Windows.
While the Mexican Tax Administration Service recommends using Internet Explorer 8: http://www.milenio.com/negocios/SAT-declaracion-timbrar-facturs-recibo_de_honorarios_0_289171173.html
http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/12/0612/0603art/facepalm.jpg
It gave ME the feeling of "I told you so"
Let me fix the US government recommendation:
"Please, DON'T USE WINDOWS" ...
OK, FFYUSA.
In few words and more Latin:
("Please, don't use windows", Ok, fixed by you, USA.)
Finally: Yes, I use windows (a "güevo" not for pleasure). And forcibly because at work we use an ERP with sqlserver + ActiveX, BUT the day I finish programming all those screens in PHP or Django, FreePascal or Python, the * uto cherry will disappear at least 99% of the teams where I work, well let's say 50% (because other animals want to use office).
Sorry for how rude, but when you get a call from «Micro $ oft» asking you to fill out a questionnaire-survey-inventory to receive a «certification» of compliance with licensing, that is when they force you to say: «FUCK YOU MICROSOFT!»…. Now if I either buy KingSoft Office or already (screwed) rent-lease office 360 crap ... let's see what the "Dire-boss" says. And said the call comes a few weeks after having bought WinServer2012 + SQL Server 2012 + 40CALs aaaarg .. I still don't install it and they already started to screw up.
Message without accents for "roe" (laziness, laziness, "vpm")
mmmh Disclaimer / NB / PS / PS: After drinking +1/2 liter of red wine, it is not good to write comments, but I started and now I hold on.
Anyway, I'm also using Windows (especially the first Windows 8 and Windows Vista, considered the worthy heirs of Windows ME by the public).
Like the US government, I would not recommend using Internet Explorer due to the ActiveX plugin system, which is a nuisance, as you can usually make a simple backdoor with a banner message saying that "your flash player is outdated ”(the classic one), and the truth is that it is boring to have to endure the vulnerability of that plugin system (no wonder Adobe is fed up with maintaining Flash Player, and version 13 is much more like the version 11.2 which is for GNU / Linux even though the numbers and the "supposed improvements" change).
The Buffering of the YouTube player made in Flash Player is literally to cry, besides that it is frustrating to have to endure the spikes that the Flash Player makes (on both platforms, although in GNU / Linux, this problem can be remedied in case the processor allows it).
Excellent info. It is clear that today there are more effective alternatives than ie like Chrome, from which I write this right now. Microsoft lagged behind in the battle of browsers long ago. Unfortunately there are millions of people who use it, and what is worse, they use Windows XP even in places like banks, ATMs etc ...
We already know that there are more and more people with bad ideas and deep programming knowledge and it is impossible to be 100% sure, but it is time to change the browser for security, also the operating system.
I have already decided to leave Windows XP due to it not reaching the level of lightness that I had in Debian when browsing in Firefox (and because I love Iceweasel and it was the first browser that I came across with the Ubuntu parent distro).
Seriously, the fluency in GNU / Linux (be it Debian, Slackware or Arch) is second to none. In addition, it is 100% recessed and can be configured to run in a POS and / or other devices (as in the case of Andamiro's dance simulator machines)
In the USA sape ... Here in Mexico if or if you have to use IE to declare taxes like people, the damn government portals think that we continue using XP 🙁
@crunchyuser, actually in Mexico-de-las-tunas, the gov. believes that we no longer use XP, since its new developments for the declarations are .Net (or deadlock), each new development has it "tied" with Winbugs, when it seems that it will work with other browsers: here! They go and screw it up again.
Are there still people who use Internet Explorer?
Believe it or not, yes. I have had to deal with people who have gotten used to using the Infernet Exploiter that I was forced to have to update it out of sheer pity to see them suffer because IE6 is a pandemonium (but set Chrome by default, and they are glad, but how do I install Chromium so that the Google Update does not break their patience, they already left IE in a jiffy).
You could see that coming is that it is windows.
Also, most do not use it because it is slow and downloads a lot of viruses if they want a secure browser that uses Mozilla Firefox