Privacy and Security: Internet Explorer Users Warned

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June 28, 2004

 

Internet Explorer Users Warned: CERT Recommends Use Of Non-IE

Browsers To Protect Personal Information

 

Privacy and Security

 

 

" A new Internet virus has surfaced that allows hackers to steal

passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information when

someone merely visits an infected Web site, government computer

security experts warned this week.

 

Hundreds of Web sites have been targeted by the virus, which exploits

flaws in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Internet software, according to an

alert issued Thursday by the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team

(US-CERT), a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Infected sites were programmed to connect people using the Microsoft

Internet Explorer browser to a Web site that contains code allowing

hackers to record what users type, such as passwords and credit card

and Social Security numbers.

 

The code then e-mails that information to the anonymous attackers.

CERT recommends that Explorer users consider other browsers that are

not affected by the attack, such as Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox,

Netscape and Opera. Mac, Linux and other non-Windows operating

systems are immune from this attack. "

 

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

 

Brian Krebs - WashingtonPost