Officials warn of Internet Explorer security threat Published April 30, 2014 By Public Affairs 315th Airlift Wing JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security U.S. CERT Team has issued an advisory warning Microsoft Windows customers that they should not use any modern version of Internet Explorer, from IE6 to IE11. Microsoft said the vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user within Internet Explorer. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website. Although additional mitigation actions may follow, immediate recommendations for users are detailed below: Users should: If available, use other browsers for the immediate time until a fix is implemented If IE is your only option (and will be in some cases), ensure any site you visit is known (ex: .mil) and refrain from visiting all advertisements or links you did not navigate to intentionally To be on the safe side before using IE for any site, including .mil sites, you should disable the Adobe Flash Player plugin. To do this go to Tools* it is the little Gear shape in the top right hand corner, select Manage Add-ons, Then under Show, select All add-ons and then select Shockwave Flash Object and click on Disable button at the bottom This will not prevent the bug if you go to the wrong site but it will prevent it from running until a fix is released. 3. Use extreme caution as phishing may be on the rise due to this vulnerability 4. Always use the R-E-A-D methodology before opening email: Relevant? Expected? Addressed Properly? Digitally Signed? It is also recommended that you have antivirus software on their home computers. More details will be provided as they become available.