Microsoft issues tool to repel Windows shortcut attacks

From InfoWorld: Microsoft late Tuesday released an automated tool to stymie exploits of a critical unpatched Windows vulnerability that experts fear will soon be used by hackers against the general PC population.

However, the tool, like a manual procedure that Microsoft recommended last week, is only a makeshift defense, one that many users may resist applying since it makes much of Windows, including the desktop, taskbar, and Start menu, almost unusable.

The company posted a "Fix it" tool on its support site that automatically disables the displaying of all Windows shortcut files. Microsoft stepped users through the same technique last week in its initial security advisory, but told them then that they had to edit the Windows registry. Most Windows users are reluctant to monkey with the registry, since a single error can cripple the computer.

Microsoft's single-click Fix it tool simply automates that process. Users must reboot their machines after applying the workaround, but IT administrators can configure the tool to install it while users are out of the office or not at their PCs.

The company admitted that applying the Fix it or the registry-editing workaround would "impact usability" of the machine since both transform the usual graphical icons on the desktop and elsewhere into generic white icons, making it impossible to tell at a glance which represents Internet Explorer, and which stands for, say, Microsoft Word.

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