imagine the possibilities

Serious Internet Explorer Defect

A simple way to exploit an unfixed defect in Internet Explorer has been discovered that allows malicious web sites, and possibly malicious email messages read with Outlook or Outlook Express, to take control of a computer. All you would need to do is click a web link and the owner of the web site could take almost any action they desired on your computer.

Simple, working exploit software was recently published to a public mailing list.

There is no patch to fix the problem. Anti-virus and personal firewall software will not prevent an exploit. It is hoped that Microsoft will provide a patch to fix this defect in the near future.

So anyone wth access to content on public webserver could integrate this code into some other page and reformat hard drives, conduct a DDOS attack, whathaveyou.

And will this affect MSFT’s stock valuation, sales, or public image outside the Usual Suspects who never have anything good to say about them?