[thelist] IE allows *.exe without user's consent

Syed Zeeshan Haider szh at softhome.net
Thu Mar 13 16:00:13 CST 2003


Hello Experts,
I have asked this question at some other forums but could not get any
satisfactory reply. As I don't consider this question directly related to Web
Development, therefore, a tip is being added.

Some days ago, when I opened www.dictionary.com, IE 5.5 became dumb and its
window looked completely white for about 3 to 5 minutes. Any click on any
part of the screen did not respond. Then a window popped up which told me
that a software had just been downloaded/installed into my PC. It was some
spyware which I had to uninstall from Control Panel. I just experienced it
on a music site. I just can't remember the URL but it was some news site. It
also made my PC to install an unwanted software which disconnected my modem
from internet and tried to make an international call. I just pulled out
telephone line but this software made Dial-up Networking unusable unless I
restarted Win 98 SE.
I just want to ask that is there some security hole in IE 5.5 SP1 which
allows some sites to obliged my PC to download/install unwanted softwares
without my consent? How can I make IE 5.5 SP1 more secure to protect my PC
from unwanted download and installation of *.exe files? Currently, I have
following security patches installed:

Q299618
Q300898
Q319182
Q321232

Do I need to download any more security patches or something else?
Thank you,

<tip type="JavaScript Debugging" author="Syed Zeeshan Haider">
If all functions and variables are right and you have not made any mistake in
spellings of objects and methods but script is still giving errors then check
for any extra dots or commas. Your browser is not going to tell you the right
line of code causing error, therefore, it would be somewhere near that line.
</tip>

--
Syed Zeeshan Haider.
http://syedzeeshanhaider.faithweb.com/



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