The following is information pertinent to our users from Commonwealth Security and Risk Management:
CSRM has been monitoring a recently announced unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer that is being actively exploited. The exploit allows an attacker to infect an user using a malicious website that has been specifically crafted to take advantage of this vulnerability. When the user visits the site, the malware is downloaded to their PC. The malware is then installed the next time the user logs into their system.
The vulnerability affects Internet Explorer versions 6 – 9. Microsoft has not released a patch for this vulnerability, however, they have released a security advisory with several workarounds that can be used until a patch can be released. Users should consider using a different web browser if possible.
The workaround identified in the Microsoft security advisory are as follows:
- Deploy the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit
- Set Internet and Local intranet security zone settings to “High” to block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones
- Configure Internet Explorer to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zone
Users who require technical assistance with adjusting their IE settings should contact the IT Help Desk at 540-654-2255. Other questions should be directed to the Director of Information Security at 540-654-2152 or rusler@umw.edu.