Microsoft rushes update for Internet Explorer

Microsoft is working on an emergency security patch for its Internet Explorer browser. The reason are the recent attacks from China against Google and at least 20 other companies, for which the blue E was blaimed.

The French and German governments issued public warnings asking the users to switch the browsers to alternative, until the problem is fixed. According to Microsoft the patch is due for 21st of January (today) and will fix other unrelated security problems too.

"Once applied, customers are protected against the known attacks that have been widely publicised," Jerry Bryant, senior security program manager at Microsoft, said in a blog post.

Microsoft also officially recommends IE users update to IE 8, which (they claim) has better security protection.

McAfee has welcomed Microsoft's release of a security update for IE, but warned against applying unofficial patches. "These unofficial patches may seem like a good idea as they appear to provide immediate protection, but applying a patch from an unknown source for software that was created by someone else just isn't a good idea," said McAfee chief technology officer George Kurtz in a blog post. "It can create all kinds of compatibility and performance issues and may be a security risk of its own, he said. Kurtz said McAfee Labs has released a free tool for businesses and other IE users that detects and remove any malware related to the attacks on Google and other companies.