Internet Explorer browser warning is in effect by some analysts who say the recent 'IE Zero Day' attack on all versions of the browser including Windows XP. However, it is interesting to note that this attack was not only targeted toward the Windows XP OS.
XP exploits have been infrequent recently, prior to the April 8th deadline. That is also another way of saying cyber criminals are stockpiling their exploits for a heftier attack post Microsoft pull out. That appears to be the case with the recent IE attack that hit the XP OS as well.
"What new risks will financial institutions face on April 9th,"is the big question asked by analysts such as Tom Hinkel, director of compliance at Safe Systems, IT vendor to the financial services industry in an Alpharetta, Ga.
"XP will enter a life phase where it forever is in a zero day exploit,"as long as Microsoft turns its back on the OS, says Hinkel.
Jason Blackett, Utah-based software developer Novell'product manager says, "Financial institutions
have to make sure they are hardened against these attacks on the server side."
"There really will be no easy way for financial institutions to mitigate risks posed by member computers," Blackett added in a CU Times reported.
The big threat to credit unions and banks that rely on XP for automatic transactions, is that XP could convert into a 'playground for hackers'or a 'free for all' for hackers to experiment, ultimately figuring out new means of attacks. There is no limit to what hackers do. They could even get into one of the financial firm's servers.
Industry experts are calling for a halt on the use of Internet Explorer after a recent IE attack, 'IE Zero Day attack' affected Windows XP as well. Security analysts reported there were flaws in the IE, even the latest versions.
The media had reported that cyber-criminals were attempting to take advantage of vulnerabilities across industries
and personal computers.
According to research by the Dell Secure Works, the group responsible for the IE Zero Day attack is the Pirpi Malware Family.
Analysts recommend using the IE vulnerability patch from Microsoft. If that is not possible, enable Enhanced Protected Mode (EPM) on Internet Explorer 10 to disable exploits. Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) should also be turned to extend exploit mitigation.
