Microsoft Still Putting Country at Risk

More victims of Microsoft’s crummy outsourced programming which is putting our country at risk.

Hackers have attacked the government agencies, defense contractors, energy companies and banks by exploiting the software flaw in Internet Explorer
The cyber offensive has been dubbed "Operation Clandestine Fox," and affects all versions of Microsoft's Web browser.

hackers are now specifically targeting older computers running on the outdated Windows XP operating system and those using the Internet Explorer 8 version of the browser.

Among those still using Windows XP are the Defense Department, the IRS, and bank ATMs.

That's a problem, because Microsoft has taken its 12-year-old operating system off life-support, ceasing security updates (although it did, in this case, apply an update to Windows XP).

An attack like Clandestine Fox is of the more serious variety -- a cyber reconnaissance mission by a foreign government that reveals weaknesses in industries crucial to the United States' economy, defenses and power.

It targeted power plants, banks, government agencies and military technology, which is essentially a precursor for war, said David Kennedy, CEO of security consulting firm TrustedSec.

"They're going after the core critical infrastructure of the United States, so in the event of a war, they can take it down," Kennedy said. "The scary part is that the financial sector and energy are extremely vulnerable."

http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/02/technology/security/internet-explorer-hack/