Microsoft looks into loopholes.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis - Brief Article

Microsoft Corp. is investigating claims that some of its flagship programs, including the Internet Explorer Web browser and Microsoft Office productivity suite, have a loophole that could crash users' systems and allow attackers to read users' online files.

Attackers taking advantage of the loophole could trick computer users into thinking they are visiting legitimate Web sites and convince them to divulge personal information. Internet Explorer versions 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 may have loopholes in handling Web sites' digital certificates, such as those from VeriSign, which verify Web sites as being legitimate and also include unique code for encrypting information. Essentially, any Web site operator with a valid certificate could pretend to be any other Web site operator. Attackers could hijack computer users...