Internet Explorer 6 scripting flaw discovered

Danish security firm Secunia is warning of a set of security flaws in Internet Explorer 6 that, used together, could allow an attacker to execute malicious code on a user's PC.

The flaws were reported this week by researcher Liu Die Yu, who posted the information on public security messaging boards, and appear to exist on PCs that are patched with the latest Microsoft security updates. Users are advised to switch off active scripting in Internet Explorer until a patch becomes available, or to use a non-IE browser.

Instructions on disabling active scripting -- which may keep some sites from functioning properly -- are available from CERT, a US security advisory organisation.

One of the flaws is a cross-site scripting vulnerability, allowing scripts from one security domain (such as the Internet) to execute with the security privileges of another domain (such as My Computer).

Secunia said it had verified the flaw on IE 6, but the problems may affect earlier versions of the browser. "Other versions may also be affected, and have been added (to the advisory) due to the criticality of these issues," the company said in a statement.

Microsoft has said it is investigating the issue, and may issue a fix as part of its monthly patch release, or separately, depending on the severity of the problem. Microsoft's last cumulative monthly patch was issued on 12 November.