Game Accounts at Risk with Internet Explorer

It has come to my attention that Internet Explorer has a zero-day exploit, basically an exploit that has always existed that is just now being discovered, that can allow attackers to gain control over a system when a person visits a website infected with the malicious code.

The affected websites seem to be limited to ASP language websites – PHP which is a large percentage of the websites you visit seem to be uninfected.  Once you visit the website your system can become infected and your information at risk.  So far the infected websites seem to be Chinese in origin but any website has the potential to be infected.  

All of the attacks so far I’ve seen reported are gamers stealing rival gamers account information though it could be used for other purposes.  Here are some of the best ways to mitigate the risk to your computer:

• Best bet – Use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome instead of IE
• In IE – Set internet zone security to the highest level
  (This will slow your browsing experience)
• Create yourself a limited access user account on your system when browsing to limit potential further infection – attackers gain the same rights as the logged in user, being an administrator is a bad plan when browsing.
• Keep anti-virus software up-to-date.  This will not likely be a bullet-proof fix but it may help mitigate your risks.  Symantec does have a few new signatures in place to help reduce your risk of infection.