BitDefender issues signature update to protect from new Internet Explorer vulnerability

Worldwide Computer Products News, May 22, 2008

Worldwide Computer Products News-22 May 2008-BitDefender issues signature update to protect from new Internet Explorer vulnerability(C)1995-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD http://www.m2.com

Researchers from BitDefender, a provider of antivirus software and data security solutions, have issued a signature update to protect users from a newly discovered vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.

According to the company, the update protects users from hacking attacks that exploit a vulnerability in the way Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or higher parses webpages in preparation for printing. The exploit enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's machine if the victim tries to print a specially-prepared webpage, while including a table of links.

The company's researchers warn that the exploit can be used in targeted attacks and advise Internet Explorer users who do not have BitDefender installed to refrain from printing webpages with the 'Print Table of Links' option enabled until a fix is released. BitDefender is currently the only company that has released a signature able to detect and block malicious code based on this exploit, the company said.

A video demonstration of the IE7 exploit can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf0JAJ29ZRI.

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