August 3, 2010 by Jack Fox
Windows software has been found to have a glitch, which prevents it from managing shortcuts correctly. The bug in the system means that hackers could manufacture shortcuts which would then take over user’s computers through the loophole in security.
As a result of the glitch, Microsoft has been forced to issue a critical patch for their software, to prevent further attacks on unsuspecting users. Shortcuts are used by many people to make regularly-used programmes and applications easy to access, by placing an icon on the desktop. This prevents people from having to scroll through the programme application list to locate what they need.
The glitch, which was identified last month, enables cyber criminals to embed commands within the shortcut capability, these commands are then activated when users click on the shortcut to reach their application. It seems that every single version of Windows is susceptible to being attacked in this way, without the patch.
Since the flaw has been widely publicised, more and more hackers have been taking advantage of it. Initially, companies such as power stations were targeted, to destabilise the central control systems. Now, however, attacks are becoming widespread as more people become aware of the potential for hacking.
The patch has been developed to mitigate the number of attacks made through the shortcut system, which Microsoft state they have seen rise recently, ads hackers cotton on to the weakness. It will be issued to people as they download updates for their machines, and is also available for free download from the Windows Update resource site.
Microsoft issued a comment: “We’re able to confirm that, in the past few days, we’ve seen an increase in attempts to exploit the vulnerability.”
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