Microsoft says a security flaw in its Internet Explorer browser played a role in the recent computer attacks against Google and at least 20 other companies. In an alert last week confirming the weakness, Microsoft said the security hole can be closed by setting browser's Internet security zone to “high.” Microsoft also released a patch Thursday for the Internet Explorer 6 (IE 6) software hole through which China-based cyber spies attacked Google and other firms. Attacks that prompted a showdown between Internet giant Google and global power China only worked against IE 6, so computer users can protect themselves by switching to newer versions of the Web browser, according to Stathakopoulos. “IE 7 and 8 seem to be holding,” Stathakopoulos said. “None of the attacks we know of will be effective against IE 8. That could change, but that is what we know.”
