To fix the serious exploit of Internet Explorer announced this week (in April 2014) users can run some commands on their computer. For our managed clients, we’re doing this for you behind the scenes so don’t worry about it (we’ve got you covered!). The fix applies to Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, – yes, even on creaky old Windows XP (the XPocalypse has been delayed).
The process is technical and we can help users that want to ensure they are protected. Even though Microsoft will soon be releasing an update for Windows Vista and newer operating systems, this fix will ensure immediate protection. The command used will remove the VML renderer, making it inaccessible to the exploit attempt. Your IE browser will no longer be able to render vector markup language content, but it’s been unused on the web for many years.
You can perform a “before and after” test to confirm that VML rendering has been disabled with this simple VML rendering of an office layout: http://www.vmlmaker.com/gallery/visio/office_layout.htm. The proper response is a BLANK PAGE. If you receive a notice that “A VML capable browser is required…” you must add the vmlmaker.com domain to IE’s “Compatibility View” for the test to function properly. This is done under the settings menu.
If you or your business employees need any help, contact us today and we can address this for you remotely.