April 28, 2008, 11:44 AM —
Many people are switching from Internet
Explorer to alternative browsers such as Firefox
and Safari. Though
that might make them feel more secure, the shift has also opened new doors for
bad guys.
Case in point: We have no IE bugs to report this month, but both Firefox and
Safari have been hit hard.
So forget the idea that just because you've switched to a new browser, you're
magically safer. You may be for a time, but to stay safe with any software,
you need to keep current with fixes.
Firefox Holes
In a somewhat dubious recognition of Firefox's growing popularity, hackers
have focused their attention on it, leading to a rash of newly discovered holes.
The folks at Mozilla recently released two Firefox updates in less than six
weeks, fixing a total of five critical security vulnerabilities. All five can
be exploited by planting a poisoned JavaScript file in a Web site and waiting
for you to stumble across it.
In an actual attack -- neither the Safari nor the Firefox bugs have elicited
one so far -- a bad guy could take over your PC or steal your navigation history.
The latest versions of Firefox -- 2.0.0.13 on -- will stop all five bugs. Mozilla's
Thunderbird
and SeaMonkey
are also at risk (if you have JavaScript enabled), so download
updated versions.
Safari in the Wild
Safari 3.1 patches 13 holes affecting Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
Think you're safe because you don't have Safari? You may have it without realizing
it. Apple now distributes
its browser with iTunes
updates. Forget to uncheck a box in one of these updates, and it's there.
The Safari holes could allow an attacker to trick you into thinking that a
fake site is really your bank site, or to take over your PC via a poisoned page.
Download Safari
3.1.
Office Bugged Again
Microsoft recently released
four patches that fix a dozen dangerous holes in Office. I warned you about
one of those holes--a zero-day attack on Excel -- in April. Be sure to apply
the patches, if your system doesn't install them automatically. Get
the four new Office patches and more info. (You are not affected if Microsoft
Office 2007 is the version you use.)
No sooner had Microsoft shipped those patches than the company acknowledged
the existence of yet another bad Office bug that needs patching. And this one
is urgent because some users have already been attacked.
Luckily, Windows Vista, Windows Vista SP1, and the beta version of Windows
XP SP3 are not at risk because they ship with a newer version of the affected
"Jet" database. But earlier versions of Windows are vulnerable, as
are all supported versions of Office, including Office 2007.
Becoming a victim of the bug involves saving two files to your PC's hard drive
-- one a mail-merge file that uses the database engine. There was no patch at
press time. For
more information, read Microsoft's advisory.
Found a hardware or software bug? Send us an e-mail on it to bugs@pcworld.com.
