Another Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer

[Robin T Cox]

Robin T Cox <robin2803@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:Xns940AA464D2719robin2803@194.168.222.40:

>> Title: Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer Execution (828750)
>> Date: October 3, 2003
>>
> I installed this patch today. But even so, with Activex enabled my IE6
> still fails the Secunia test:
> http://www.secunia.com/MS03-032/

To specify more exactly:

My Activex settings are Prompt/Disable/Disable/Enable/Enable.
When I click the link to perform the test, the grey File Download box pops
up.
When I click Open, Kerio PF kicks in with:
- an Outgoing Connection Alert: C:\windows\mshta.exe ('Microsoft (R) HTML
Application host' from your computer wants to connect to
localhost[127.0.0.1],port 8080)
When I click Deny, Kerio issues:
- another Outgoing Connection Alert, again from mshta.exe, wanting to
connect to 213.150.41.226.port 80
When I click Deny, Kerio issues:
- another Outgoing Connection Alert, from mshta.exe wanting to send UDP
datagram to localhost [127.0.0.1], port 1116
When I click Deny, nothing further happens.

My puzzlement is because, having installed the patch,
- when I did the test I did not expect to get the pop-up File Download box
in the first place
- it seems that, but for Kerio's protection, my system would still be
making unwanted outgoing connections etc.

Or am I getting hold of the wrong end of the stick?

[Robin T Cox]

Robin T Cox <robin2803@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:Xns940B54406300Erobin2803@62.253.162.114:

> My puzzlement is because, having installed the patch,
> - when I did the test I did not expect to get the pop-up File Download
> box in the first place
> - it seems that, but for Kerio's protection, my system would still be
> making unwanted outgoing connections etc.
>
> Or am I getting hold of the wrong end of the stick?
>

OK, it's me getting hold of the wrong end of the stick.
When I allow the outgoing connections, it brings up an IE script error:
click yes/no: yes brings popup blank test.hta, same with no.
So the patch does work.

Thanks all.

[Roy]

In article <Xns940B54406300Erobin2803@62.253.162.114>, robin2803
@hotmail.com says...

> To specify more exactly:
>
> My Activex settings are Prompt/Disable/Disable/Enable/Enable.
>

That's as clear as mud.

Do you have Activex enabled, disabled, or prompt?

Cheers,

Roy

[Robin T Cox]

Roy <z.5.RoyDent@spamgourmet.com> wrote in
news:MPG.19ea34a519f2235f9896c6@usenet.free-online.net:

>> My Activex settings are Prompt/Disable/Disable/Enable/Enable.
>>
>
> That's as clear as mud.
>
> Do you have Activex enabled, disabled, or prompt?
>

FWIW my Security settings are as follows -

Download signed Activex controls - Prompt
Download unsigned Activex controls - Disable
Initialise and script Activex controls not marked as safe - Disable
Run Activex controls and plugins - Enable
Script Activex controls marked safe for scripting - Enable

[Roy]

In article <Xns940BA9BB1E777robin2803@194.168.222.41>, robin2803
@hotmail.com says...

> > Do you have Activex enabled, disabled, or prompt?
> >
>
> FWIW my Security settings are as follows -
>
> Download signed Activex controls - Prompt
> Download unsigned Activex controls - Disable
> Initialise and script Activex controls not marked as safe - Disable
> Run Activex controls and plugins - Enable
> Script Activex controls marked safe for scripting - Enable

That's more like it.

I think you'd be well advised to change the last two to 'Prompt'. That
won't prevent you using any safe site, but you'll need to use your skill
and judgement in deciding which are which. It does at least leave the
decision up to you, not Microsoft.

There's only one site where I absolutely need to use IE, and that's my
bank (for full functionality), most of the rest of the time it's
Mozilla. But using that very safe browser you do have to accept that
some features of some sites may not work. It's all a question of what
your priorities are I suppose, safety, or adventure!

Cheers,

Roy

[Robin T Cox]

Roy <z.5.RoyDent@spamgourmet.com> wrote in
news:MPG.19ea9d64b6aae8929896c7@usenet.free-online.net:

> I think you'd be well advised to change the last two to 'Prompt'. That
> won't prevent you using any safe site, but you'll need to use your skill
> and judgement in deciding which are which. It does at least leave the
> decision up to you, not Microsoft.
>
> There's only one site where I absolutely need to use IE, and that's my
> bank (for full functionality), most of the rest of the time it's
> Mozilla. But using that very safe browser you do have to accept that
> some features of some sites may not work. It's all a question of what
> your priorities are I suppose, safety, or adventure!
>

Thanks Roy, I do know about the security settings etc. and like yourself I
rarely use IE. I didn't write my settings out at length because I assumed
that the average reader would understand that I was simply listing them
from the top down. Also, those settings were made in order to do the
Secunia test in such a way as to demonstrate whether the MS patch alone was
working or not.

My original post was really about my failure to understand correctly the
manner in which the Secunia test worked, and rather than blame the writers
on the Secunia page for poor instructions, I thought it might be more
constructive to get some help here. I was obviously not disappointed.

Thanks again!

Robin