Life preserver for Internet Ex-PLODE-r in XP

[Earth Bound Misfit]

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/05/emergency-patch-for-critical-ie-0day-throws-lifeline-to-xp-laggards-too/

The decision to patch XP underscores the potential seriousness of the vulnerability. Since it resides in versions 6 through 11 of Internet Explorer, the remote code-execution hole leaves an estimated 26 percent of Internet browsers susceptible to attacks that can surreptitiously install hacker-controlled backdoors when users visit a booby-trapped website. By some measures, 28 percent of the Web-using public continues to use the aging OS, which lacks crucial safety protections built into Windows 7 and 8.1.

Thursday's release demonstrates the razor-thin tightrope Microsoft walks as it tries to wean users off a platform it acknowledges is no longer safe against modern hacks. While the XP fix may deprive some laggards of the incentive to upgrade, Microsoft also has a responsibility to prevent exploits that could turn large numbers of the Internet population into compromised platforms that attack others.

More @Link

[JohnnyRingo]

1. My XP was updated today.

I have payware AV, but I was well aware of the security breach.

It's almost hard to believe that MS intends to abandon an OS that is so universally employed, and I expect that the future may hold a reconsideration of support.

Sure, MS wants everyone to move ahead to an improved format, but I still use EZ-Widers. Do they want me to live without safeguards from paper cuts now?

[hobbit709]

2. "lacks crucial safety protections built into Windows 7 and 8.1." LOL

What safety precautions are those? I've already seen some Win 8 computers infected that I've had to clean out. The biggest security hole is the one they won't fix-namely making IE an integral part of the OS instead of being separate. IE 6-11 says the underlying problem remains the same.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. "The biggest security hole is the one they won't fix-namely making IE an integral part of the OS"

The Master of Nailing It approves.