Maximum PC Internet Explorer 7 RSS Feed

IE Fights Downward Curve, Firefox 3 Eats into Safari's Share

Pulkit Chandna — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:30:00 -0500

Net Applications has released the global market share statistics of all major web browsers for the month of July. Internet Explorer registered a slight increase, as its market share went up by .01% to 73.02% compared to the previous month. Although the increase is statistically trivial, its significance lies in the fact that it has come after months of steady decline. IE’s only major competitor, Firefox, witnessed a month-over-month decline of .19% and ended up with 19.03% market share. Undoubtedly, Firefox’s market share grew on the back of the pompous Firefox 3 launch in June. So the slight decline can be seen as a correction of sorts. However, Firefox 3 is still going strong at the expense of Safari and its predecessor Firefox 2. Both Safari and Opera were down in July, according to Net Applications' July survey.

Image Credit: PixelApps

Microsoft Stops URI Threats to Windows XP - Protect Yourself Today!

Mark Soper — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:19:10 -0600

URI Vulnerabilities Running Wild

In October, we warned you about a dangerous vulnerability on systems running Windows XP, Internet Explorer 7, and Adobe Acrobat or Reader. The URI protocol handler, which runs email, IM or other applications when you click on a web link, could be used to attack your system. According to Symantec, the problem isn't just with Adobe Acrobat or Reader either: some versions of Mozilla Firefox, Skype, as well as Netscape 7.1, mIRC, and the Miranda 0.7 IM client can also be used to attack systems running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 via URIs. Since URIs show up in email, web pages, PDF files, IMs and lots of other places, your PC is a "target-rich environment," to say the least.

What Makes URI Attacks Dangerous?

A URI that calls a program in Windows actually asks the Windows Shell32 program to do its bidding. Shell32 uses the ShellExecute function to start the other program. The trouble is that Shell32's a trusting sort, not asking any questions about what the URI is up to. As a result, a bad URI can do anything it wants.

Microsoft Steps Up to Stop URI Attacks via Windows XP, Windows Server 2003

Adobe fixed the problem for Acrobat and Reader 8.x users right away, but, as Symantec's list of other affected applications suggests, the real place to stop the problem is at the operating system level. And, with the release of security bulletin MS07-061, Microsoft is on the job. Tuesday, Microsoft rolled out the URI vulnerability fix for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as part of "Patch Tuesday," so it will be showing up in your system's Windows Update offerings shortly. But why wait? You can grab the update for Windows XP right now (Windows Vista users aren't affected). It's a 3MB download, so it won't take long to download and install it. Microsoft identifies this vulnerability as "critical" - and given the omnipresence of URIs, that's putting it mildly.

Can MS07-061 Break Your Favorite Application?

Changing how Shell32 works is not trivial - it's one of the most important components in Windows. Unfortunately, it's possible that the security changes in this new update might cause some programs to no longer work properly. If that happens, you will need to whip out Regedit and make changes to the Registry that will exempt that program from the security update. For details, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 943460.

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Mark Soper and tech legend Leo Laporte have teamed up to solve Windows XP woes with Leo Laporte's PC Help Desk. Grab a copy for yourself or give PC peace of mind to friends and family. It's available at Amazon.com and other fine bookstores.

Got Adobe Acrobat or Reader 8.1? The "Fix" Is In

Mark 'Marcus Soperus' Soper — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 22:55:31 -0500

Acrobat & Reader 8.1 Users - Adobe to the Rescue!

Earlier this month, we told you that the combination of Adobe Reader or Acrobat with Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7 left users facing a major vulnerability: the "mailto" URI used in web pages and PDF files could be used to download and install malware.

Adobe promised they'd have updates to fix the problem by month-end, and they've outdone themselves: they rolled out a security bulletin today with updates to Adobe Reader 8.1 and Adobe Acrobat 8.1. Reader and Acrobat 8.1 become 8.1.1 after patching.

Acrobat & Reader 7.x Users - Still on the Waiting List

You know how software vendors are always telling you to 'update to the lastest version?' Sometimes, there's a good reason, like being first in line for updates for a security problem. Although lots of PCs still use Acrobat and Reader 7.x, Adobe rolled out the patches for Acrobat and Reader 8.1 first. Are Acrobat 7.x users out of luck? Nope. Adobe says it will roll out updates for Acrobat and Reader 7.x users "at a later date." If for some reason you're still using Acrobat or Reader 6.x or earlier - Fuhgeddaboutit! No patches for you.

Can't Wait for 7.x Updates? Disable Mailto: Now!

If you can't run Acrobat or Reader 8.1, follow the workaround provided in both the original and the new security bulletins to disable the Mailto: URI for Acrobat and Reader.

Didn't Ask for That PDF File? Watch Out!

Mark 'Marcus Soperus' Soper — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 07:57:20 -0500

PDF files can be as rich in interactivity as web pages. For example, a well-designed PDF ebook allows you to click from the table of contents to the page you want, or it can be used to open a website. Unfortunately, interactivity has a price: it can also be used to attack your system.

"Mailto:" Can Receive Too: How About Some Malware?

A "Mailto:" link in a PDF page is supposed to launch your system's default email client, but UK-based Web vulnerability expert Petko Petkov, who blogs at gnucitizen.org as 'PDP', recently discovered a big flaw in the combination of Abobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader (8.1 and all earlier versions) and Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP. With this combination, a "Mailto: link can actually be used to download and install malware. According to Petkov, you don't even need to click on a Mailto: link in an affected document to be infected.

PDF Vulnerability Hits a Popular Combination

How big a deal is this? Think about how often you open a PDF file from the web or in email: for some of us, it's probably several times a day. Combine that with the widespread use of IE7 on Windows XP (this time, Windows Vista users ducked the bullet), and it's a very big, very bad deal for PC users in home and at the office.

Most of us don't think about PDF being anything other than a convenient way to send images or documents, but this vulnerability reminds us that any file format with interactive features is a two-edged sword.

Adobe's Response - Registry Edit Now, Patch Coming Soon

Adobe has rolled out a two-stage response to this vulnerability. Right now, the company is recommending a change to the Registry to disable Mailto:. The Adobe advisory specifically details changes only only for Windows XP systems running Acrobat and Reader versions 8.1, although all previous versions are also affected. Adobe expects to have patches available by the end of October.

The Blame Game, Again - But Microsoft Fesses Up

Whose fault is this particular vulnerability? Abobe's? Microsoft's? After some initial fingerpointing, Microsoft has now admitted that IE7 in both Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 has a problem handling threats concealed in URLs and URIs such as "mailto:" A security update is coming, but isn't available yet. Keep your eye on Knowledge Base article 943521 for updates.

It's interesting that the problem is not IE7 per se, but the combination of IE7 with Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. It's clear that something went wrong when IE7 was ported from Windows Vista to Windows XP/Server 2003 (if you're still using IE 6, you're safe from this threat).

Your Response

If you're accustomed to mindlessly opening PDF files whatever their source, stop and think. If you get an unsolicited PDF in your email, or you're asked to click a link in a PDF or open an attachment by an unfamiliar source - don't do it. If you use IE7 with Windows XP and either Adobe product, make the registry change - today. Grab the Abobe and Microsoft IE 7 patches as soon as they're posted. And, as always, think before you click.