Microsoft has released a fix to an Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability, including protection for Windows XP users.
Adrienne Hall, GM: Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, urges users to turn on their automatic updates to allow the fix to take effect.
“One of the things that drove much of this coverage was that it coincided with the end of support for Windows XP,” she writes on the official Microsoft blog. “Of course we’re proud that so many people loved Windows XP, but the reality is that the threats we face today from a security standpoint have really outpaced the ability to protect those customers using an operating system that dates back over a decade.
“This is why we’ve been encouraging Windows XP customers to upgrade to a modern, more secure operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.”
She adds that, even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, the company has provided an update for all versions of Windows XP (including embedded).
“We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP,” says Hall. “The reality is there have been a very small number of attacks based on this particular vulnerability and concerns were, frankly, overblown. Unfortunately this is a sign of the times and this is not to say we don’t take these reports seriously. We absolutely do.
“Just because this update is out now doesn’t mean you should stop thinking about getting off Windows XP and moving to a newer version of Windows and the latest version of Internet Explorer. Our modern operating systems provide more safety and security than ever before.”
