Microsoft to patch Internet Explorer XSS filter in June

Microsoft will wait until June to release an additional patch for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that was recently demonstrated at the Black Hat EU conference.

Speaking on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog, security software engineer David Ross claimed that an additional update to the IE XSS filter is currently scheduled for release in June. 

He said: “This change will address a Script tag attack scenario described in the Black Hat EU presentation. This issue manifests when malicious script can ‘break out' from within a construct that is already within an existing script block. While the issue identified and addressed in MS10-002 was identified to exist on high-profile websites, thus far real-world examples of the Script tag neutering attack scenario have been hard to come by."

With reference to the Black Hat presentation, researchers showed how problems with the filter could be used to inject malicious code into websites such as Google, Bing and Twitter. Ross claimed that in January - where it was covered with an out-of-band patch - and again in March, Microsoft took steps to mitigate this threat class and the next ‘major step' will be taken in the June timeframe.

Ross said: “Overall we maintain that it's important to use a browser with an XSS filter, as the benefits of protection from a large class of attacks outweigh the potential risks from vulnerabilities in most cases.

“We look forward to continuing to improve the Internet Explorer XSS filter going forward to address new attack scenarios and the evolving threat landscape.”

See original article on scmagazineus.com