On Monday, Microsoft released an urgent security notice for Internet Explorer on Windows XP. There are active exploits that take advantage of this vulnerability. The exploit requires visiting a compromised website or clicking on an email that directs one to a compromised website. COSINe is in the process of rolling out a script to SCIENCE Domain computers that mitigates this vulnerability.
If you use a non-domain computer, you can run a tool provided by Microsoft that mitigates this vulnerability. The link to the tool is provided below.
* Microsoft Workaround:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890#FixItForMe
* More information:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/972890.mspx