Microsoft fixes IE security flaw- even on XP

Earlier this week we reported on an Internet Explorer bug that could potentially hurt Windows XP users since the decade old OS was no longer supported. However, Microsoft decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to leave its XP users at risk and fixed the bug.

Microsoft announced the vulnerability fix in a blog post today: “This means that when we saw the first reports about this vulnerability, we said fix it, fix it fast, and fix it for all our customers. So we did.” The post then goes on to say that the company made the exception this time due to the fact that it happened so soon after official support ended: “Even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, we’ve decided to provide an update for all versions of Windows XP (including embedded), today.  We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP.”

Microsoft Security Manager, Dustin Childs, wrote in a second post stating that the company had only seen a few targeted attacks thanks to the security flaw and advised Windows customers to update their software as soon as possible.

This might be the true ending to support for Windows XP though as Microsoft is still urging customers to upgrade: “Of course we’re proud that so many people loved Windows XP, but the reality is that the threats we face today from a security standpoint have really outpaced the ability to protect those customers using an operating system that dates back over a decade.  This is why we’ve been encouraging Windows XP customers to upgrade to a modern, more secure operating system like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.”

KitGuru Says: Some people were accusing Microsoft of leaving the bug in XP on purpose in order to force users to upgrade but that just isn't the case. However, XP is over ten years old now, its still probably time to upgrade. 

Source: Recode

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