News of the vulnerability spread last week when Maurycy Prodeus of iSec Security Research posted information about the vulnerability on the Web. According to Microsoft’s advisory, the vulnerability is due to the way VBScript interacts with Windows Help files when using Internet Explorer.
To address the issue, Microsoft made a number of suggestions, including restricting access to the Windows Help system. The company warned however that if the Windows Help System is rendered unavailable, users may not be able to leverage the help function in applications. The company also suggested user change the local intranet security zone settings to “High” to block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting, and avoid pressing the F1 key if they are prompted to by a Web site.