A patch Microsoft
released
to fix problems in Internet Explorer (IE) is
causing other software to break and making the browser crash. As
a result, Microsoft will tweak the patch and re-release it
August 22, the company announced on its
Web site.
The patch,
MS06-042, appears to break other software
and causes Internet Explorer to crash, according to Microsoft's
security website and other IT forums. A number of IT
administrators on security mailing lists are complaining that
the patch causes some PeopleSoft web-based applications to
crash.
Microsoft's security site has been updated to let customers know
that if they are applying the security patch for Internet Explorer
6 Service Pack 1 systems, the web browser may crash while certain
sites are being viewed.
While the re-release isn't expected until August 22, Microsoft
does have a temporary fix for the problem, but users must call the
company's support line to get it.
The company still recommends that the current patch be applied
because it addresses eight security flaws in the browser, although
Microsoft's technical help desk recommends that users disable the
use of HTTP 1.1 in the browser's advanced settings menu.
The patch for Internet Explorer was one of 12 that Microsoft
issued last Tuesday, with MS06-040 being singled out as the most
important one to install. MS06-040 is a remotely exploitable buffer
overrun flaw in the Windows Server service. Attackers have
already started to exploit the flaw.
Patch glitches are nothing new for IT administrators. In April,
a second patch for Windows Internet Explorer had to be issued by
Microsoft because the first one caused problems with Nvidia drivers
and Hewlett-Packard software. In June, one of the company's patches
caused network problems for users.