eEye releases patches for Windows

Without waiting for Microsoft to release a patch for the latest mouse hole, security firm eEye developed a temporary patch to prevent hackers from launching a massive attack on the Windows operating system.

The new vulnerability is "extremely serious" that could cause an entire system to crash if hackers perform a DoS (denial of service) attack. However, traditionally, Microsoft does not recommend users to install these "unofficial" patches.

The latest exploit error is in the form of a buffer overflow in a dynamic cursor file. A similar vulnerability of this type was discovered in early 2005, but it did not affect Windows XP SP2. The current vulnerability (discovered by McAfee) affects both XP SP2 and Windows Vista, as well as versions like Windows 2000 SP4, Windows Server 2003 (and SP1).

According to eEye's warning, the company's temporary patch only prevents hackers from exploiting the vulnerability, but resolving the problem that exists in the file.