Patch Internet Explorer Now

You may have heard that Google's China operations were hacked. It turns out it was due to a flaw in Internet Explorer, and Microsoft has issued a patch.

1. If you are still using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) or IE7, please upgrade to IE 8.
2. Also, please go to Windows Update (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/) and install the latest patches.
3. Consider installing another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

The flaw in Internet Explorer seems worst on IE6, but has been demonstrated in IE7 and IE8.

It wasn't just Google that was targeted by the Chinese hackers, as Adobe provided additional information, and Yahoo and Northrop Grumman were also affected. Google, however, came forward with the information, and has effectively decided to pull out of China. As an interesting side note, Google hacked the hackers right back (link via Gizmodo).

The patch has been available since Jan 22nd (for reference, see bulletin MS10-002 and KB 978207). It may already be installed, but please 1) upgrade to IE8 and 2) run Windows Update. Alternately, switch to Firefox or another browser like Chrome.

Think you already have the patch but you're not sure?

• For Windows XP, look in Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, click 'Show updates' at the top, and look for 'Windows Internet Explorer # - Software Updates' and look for an installed on or near 1/22/2010 named 'Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB978207).'
• For Windows Vista and Windows 7, click Start and type 'View Installed Updates' in the search box and press ENTER. Look for the Microsoft Windows section, and look for 'Update for Microsoft Windows (KB978207)' installed on or near 1/22/2010.

Screen Shot for XP

Screen Shot for Vista / Windows 7