The Internet Explorer bug popped up earlier this week. It was a particularly nasty glitch that no one had foreseen – in fact, it was a type of bug that no one had encountered before, which made it difficult for Microsoft to address it.

What is the Internet Explorer bug?
Imagine you’re surfing the Internet on a normal day, just clicking through links for interesting stories on your Facebook. Then, BAM, your computer has been taken over by a hacker. This is essentially what was happening with the Internet Explorer bug. Hackers were able to easily access information to people’s computers through the click of a link. Hackers were creating websites, and if you happened to click on the link to their website, you immediately became vulnerable to malware. Through the malware, the hackers were taking over computers, accessing sensitive information, and changing things. You can see where this would be a problem. People using Windows XP were especially at risk because Microsoft had already stopped sending XP updates.

How were people able to avoid the bug?
The easiest way to avoid the Internet Explorer bug was to stop using Internet Explorer. In the case of malware that only attacks a specific browser, switching browsers can eliminate the problem. The malware was mostly running through “add-ons” like Adobe Flash, so disabling these add-ons and extras was another way that people were combatting the Internet Explorer bug. Having malware protection is also helpful in cases like these, as is knowledge of how to keep your information secure on the Internet. Never click on a link that doesn’t seem reputable and always ask if you think your friend has been hacked and sent spam.

What does the patch do?
Microsoft has created a patch that will fix the security breach. Since most people choose to have automatic updates, there’s not much you’ll need to do to fix the problem. However, if you don’t have automatic updates, you’ll need to go in and manually update Internet Explorer to get the fix. Even if you’re still running Windows XP, the update will work. Microsoft made a special point to prevent this bug from becoming a problem for too many people.

As a future precaution, you should always make sure that your computer is protected from malware and spyware and use good, common sense while on the Internet. Never click a link if you don’t know what it is and make sure that the source seems reputable. If you’re unsure of what to do or you run a business and need to make sure that your information stays secure and safe, you should consider outsourcing your IT to someone who knows how to take care of cybersecurity.

At Working Nets in Baltimore, we support your business by providing top-notch Information Technology (I.T.) services to companies like yours: Companies that don’t need full-time I.T. services, but do need someone to turn to, when they are having a problem.  If you have any questions about disaster recovery and data backup, please contact us at 443.992.7394 or visit our website!

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Source: http://time.com/85500/microsoft-fixes-internet-explorer-security-bug/#

http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/28/technology/security/internet-explorer-bug/