From Today Onwards, Don't You Even Dare to Use Microsoft Internet Explorer

Yes, from today, Microsoft is ending the support for versions 8, 9 and 10 of its home-built browser Internet Explorer, thereby encouraging Windows users to switch on to Internet Explorer version 11 or its newest Edge browser.

Microsoft is going to release one last patch update for IE8, IE9 and IE10 today, but this time along with an "End of Life" notice, meaning Microsoft will no longer support the older versions.

So, if you want to receive continuous updates for your web browser and avoid being exposed to potential security risks after 12 January, you are advised to upgrade your browser to Internet Explorer 11, or its new Edge browser.

End of Life of Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 
"Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10," Microsoft says.

This move could be part of Microsoft's bigger plan to move its users to the new Edge browser, which is currently available only on Windows 10 PCs.

With the launch of Microsoft Edge last April, the company attempted to encourage Windows 10 users to switch to Edge if they are using its rival browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, as the default web browser.

Edge has been designed completely separate to Internet Explorer, and promises speed and usability, with support for Cortana -- Microsoft's virtual assistant.

Around 340 Million Users Run Internet Explorer
For higher adoption of Edge, Microsoft is finally ending support for Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10. However, an estimated 340 Million Windows users are still running Internet Explorer, and nearly half of those are believed to be using one of the expired IE versions.

Therefore, the older versions of the browser will receive KB3123303 patch today that will feature "nag box" asking users to upgrade their browser.

If you have "Automatic Updates" turned ON, you most likely upgraded to IE11 already. However, users with older IE browsers can turn "Automatic Updates" ON by clicking on "Check for Updates" in the "Windows Update" section of the Control Panel.

Serious bug in fully patched Internet Explorer puts user credentials at risk

A vulnerability in fully patched versions of Internet Explorer allows attackers to steal login credentials and inject malicious content into users' browsing sessions. Microsoft officials said they're working on a fix for the bug, which works successfully on IE 11 running on both Windows 7 and 8.1.

The vulnerability is known as a universal cross-site scripting (XSS) bug. It allows attackers to bypass the same origin policy, a crucially important principle in Web application models that prevents one site from accessing or modifying browser cookies or other content set by any other site. A proof-of-concept exploit published in the past few days shows how websites can violate this rule when people use supported versions of Internet Explorer running the latest patches to visit maliciously crafted pages.

To demonstrate the attack, the demo injects the words "Hacked by Deusen" into the website of the Daily Mail. But it also could have stolen HTML-based data the news site, or any other website, stores on visitors' computers. That means it would be trivial for attackers to use it to steal authentication cookies many websites use to grant access to user accounts once a visitor has entered a user name and password. Once in possession of the cookie, an attacker could access the same restricted areas normally available only to the victim, including those with credit card data, browsing histories, and other confidential data. Phishers could also exploit the bug to trick people into divulging passwords for sensitive sites.

The exploit appears to use iframes to tamper with IE's support of the same origin policy. The exploit code looks like this:

function go()
{
w=window.frames[0];
w.setTimeout("alert(eval('x=top.frames[1];r=confirm(\\'Close this window after 3 seconds...\\');x.location=\\'javascript:%22%3Cscript%3Efunction%20a()%7Bw.document.body.innerHTML%3D%27%3Ca%20style%3Dfont-size%3A50px%3EHacked%20by%20Deusen%3C%2Fa%3E%27%3B%7D%20function%20o()%7Bw%3Dwindow.open(%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%27%2C%27_blank%27%2C%27top%3D0%2C%20left%3D0%2C%20width%3D800%2C%20height%3D600%2C%20location%3Dyes%2C%20scrollbars%3Dyes%27)%3BsetTimeout(%27a()%27%2C7000)%3B%7D%3C%2Fscript%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%27javascript%3Ao()%3Bvoid(0)%3B%27%3EGo%3C%2Fa%3E%22\\';'))",1);
}
setTimeout("go()",1000);

A Microsoft spokesperson issued the following statement:

We are not aware of this vulnerability being actively exploited and are working on a security update. To exploit this, an adversary would first need to lure the user to a malicious website, often through phishing. SmartScreen, which is on by default in newer versions of Internet Explorer, helps protect against phishing websites. We continue to encourage customers to avoid opening links from untrusted sources and visiting untrusted sites, and to log out when leaving sites to help protect their information.
The statement is correct in pointing out that to succeed, an attacker would first have to lure a target to a malicious site. In an age of social networking and shortened links, that's not a difficult burden to meet. And while SmartScreen could be an effective remedy, it would take some time for it to be put in place. And even then, SmartScreen would work only against attacks that are spammed to large numbers of people. SmartScreen would likely do nothing to prevent targeted attacks.

IE 9.0.6 Now Available, Fixes Security Flaws

I remember just a few years ago when Internet Explorer was the laughing stock of the browser community. It lacked the functionality that other browsers had while lacking even basic security functions. It's what led to the impression that IE was a virus haven, but Microsoft has made great strides in making IE a more attractive and secure browser. The new update today only reaffirms that.

Microsoft today announced the release of Internet Explorer 9.0.6. It fixes "five privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer." The worst vulnerability would allow "remote code execution" if a user visited an infected Web site. This would allow somebody to gain control of the PC in question with the same user rights as the local user.

These are the kind of vulnerabilities that can lead to the creation of a botnet. People visit a Web site and get their computer hijacked by a foreign party. Their computer then becomes part of the botnet collective which usually goes unnoticed by the user if the creator of the botnet is good at their job.

Microsoft says that this updated is rated critical for IE6, IE7, IE8 and IE9 on Windows clients. It's rated moderate for the same versions of IE on Windows servers. You can check out the full security bulletin for all the information including which operating systems are affected.

If you have automatic updating turned on, the update should have already been applied. If you're like me and have automatic updates turned off, you can apply it the usual way through Windows Update. While I don't use Internet Explorer and many Windows users reading this now probably don't either, it's still suggested that you install the update. There's always that small chance of a friend using your computer and browsing with Internet Explorer. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Safari And Internet Explorer, First To Fall In Pwn2Own

The Pwn2Own contest, reported earlier by SecurityProNews, has taken place this week and two web browsers have already fallen.According to a ComputerWorld report, Apple's Safari fell to a french security company, the hack only took five seconds to implement.

The team which hacked Safari was able to walk home with a $15,000 cash prize and the MacBook Air they performed the hack on. What makes the hack impressive is Apple released asecurity update for the browser which fixed 64 security flaws.

While the Safari hack was done quickly, many have been greatly impressed by the Internet Explorer exploit. Instead of a company, the IE8 hack was developed by a single person, Stephen Fewer. He's an independent researcher who caught the eye of Aaron Portnoy, one of the TippingPoint's team, the group who put the Pwn2Own contest together.

Fewer had to use a few vulnerabilities to successfully hack IE8 on Windows 7. Here's what Portnoy said of the hack, "The most impressive so far" he continues, "He used three vulnerabilities to [not only] bypass ASLR and DEP, but also escape Protected Mode. That's something we've not seen at Pwn2Own before."

While Safari and IE8 have been hacked, Chrome has remained safe. No one has attempted to hack the browser, so their $20,000 prize is safe. The purse was only available to those who hacked the browser on the first day of the content. If anyone is able to successfully hack the browser now or later on, they will receive $10,000 from Google and $10,000 more from TippingPoint.

Pwn2Own has two more days before all is said and done, which will see hackers make their attempts at Mozilla Firefox, and the four smartphone operating systems: Apple iOS, Google Android, Microsoft Windows 7, and RIM' Blackberry.

Pwn2Own Contest Pays Hackers To Exploit Firefox, Internet Explorer, And Google Chrome

Pwn2Own is a contest put together which pits hackers against the major web browsers. Their goal is to successfully exploit the browsers and find bugs which allow for these hacks. The hackers aren't just doing this to be nice either, there's a prize pool worth $125,000. Cash, laptops, and desktops will all be available to win.

The contest features all the major browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome), and will be functioning on both Windows 7 PC's and Mac OS X machines. The contest is hosted by TippingPoint, a research organization who works to provide protection against system vulnerabilities.

There are a couple of new additions to the contest, both of which will pay prize money. First, there will be a mobile hacking event. This will pit researchers against the likes of Apple's iOS, Google Android, Microsoft's Windows 7 Phone, and RIM's Blackberry OS.

The news which is really drawing attention to the event is Google Chrome joining in on the action. Not only are they participating, but they're ponying up their own dough to award the hackers. $20,000 will go to the hacker who can find an exploit in Google Chrome first.

Google has been very confident in their belief that Chrome cannot be hacked. This is due to their using of a 'sandbox' anti-exploit defense. This type of defense isolates a program from other system processes, and requires hackers to take an additional step to truly perform a successful breach.

Only on the first day will Google be providing their $20,000 prize. This is due to the fact that on the first day only the browsers themselves will be available to the contestants. On the second and third day, they are allowed to utilize system bugs on the operating systems to perform their hacks. For the last two days Google will still provide a $10,000 award, which will be matched by Tipping Point. So no matter what day a hacker might successfully exploit Chrome, they'll still receive $20,000.

This is the contest's fifth running, and the award money has never been higher. The contest itself is about helping the browser developers better implement security strategies that keep malicious hackers from fulfilling their exploits.

Worm blocks access to Facebook

A relatively new worm that Symantec named W32.Yimfoca presents a very interesting and never before seen modus operandi.

A variant of the worm spreads via Yahoo! Messenger and, once installed, downloads and installs W32.Yimfoca on the target system. Lately, it has been noticed that it specifically targets Facebook users by denying them access to their accounts if they don't complete a survey.

Every time the user lands on the Facebook homepage, a window offering the surveys pops up:


Also, while the victim fills out the survey, a progress bar is shown accompanied by a "threat" - "You have only 3 minutes to fill out the selected survey or you will not have access to your account."

Once you have completed a survey - which, by the way, earn the scammers up to $1 per survey - you can access your account. If you don't do it within 3 minutes, the worm will not allow you to access the account while it's running - and it resets even after a reboot of the infected computer.

It is also interesting to note that the worm blocks access to Facebook only if you use Internet Explorer. Using any other browser fails to trigger the worm and you can access your Facebook account without being sidetracked by annoying pop-ups.

Internet Explorer 8 Vulnerability Exposed

A new vulnerability has been discovered in Internet Explorer that takes advantage of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), in order to steal data from the browser.

This past Friday, Google security researcher Chris Evans posted on the Full Disclosure mailing list (see that post here) describing a CSS vulnerability he discovered. He also posted a harmless example of what that vulnerability could do. In the example, you go to a site in IE and click a button (which supposedly could be automated) and your twitter account will automatically send out a tweet. Barely two hours later, Microsoft tweeted that they were aware of a problem and would "investigate" the issue.

This CSS vulnerability is not exclusive to Internet Explorer. The other four major browsers are also affected: FireFox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome. The only difference is the vendors of those browsers have issued patches and plugged the holes that created the problem. As of yet, Internet Explorer is the only major browser that has yet to be fixed. Not that there hasn't been enough time to work on a patch. According to Evans in the posting mentioned above, "[t]here's evidence to suggest that Microsoft has been aware of this since at least 2008." Whether or not they have known about the vulnerability that long is irrelevant, considering that it has been fixed by everyone else.

This vulnerability takes advantage of CSS standards to steal browser data. According to those standards, cookies are sent from the browser when CSS is called, even if it is a cross-domain call. Combining this with a CSS injection attack using background-image:url(), the browser's cookies will be sent to the given url. These cookies can contain the keys needed to break into web applications such as Twitter accounts and webmail sites. Even worse, this happens even when javascript is disabled, making this a threat even to those who think they are relatively safe.

Trojan disguised as a toolbar for Facebook

A Facebook toolbar is just what you need to make your sharing and connecting with friends easier, says in an email supposedly coming from "Facebook.com":

If you decide to click on the download link, the downloaded file ("toolbar.exe") will present itself with an icon of a black ball with "darkSector" written on it. That should be enough to raise suspicion, and a look at the file properties should be in order:

Sure enough, the properties reveal a positive jumble of information that has no connection whatsoever to Facebook (HijackThis is a well-known piece of security software from Trend Micro).

But, even if you wanted to download HijackThis, this isn't it. Symantec detects the file as a dropper Trojan, and recommends everyone to take this simple little step to check every file that looks suspicious for any reason and whose provenience you doubt - oftentimes, the attackers won't even bother to properly disguise the file they are sending, or will do it badly.

IE8, iPhone will fall first day of hacking contest, predicts organizer

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, not Apple's Safari, will be the first browser to fall in next week's Pwn2Own hacking challenge, the contest organizer said today.

Aaron Portnoy, security research team lead with 3Com TippingPoint, the sponsor of Pwn2Own, also predicted that Apple's iPhone will be the only smartphone hacked during the contest, which starts March 24.

Researchers will compete for $100,000 in cash prizes next week at CanSecWest, the Vancouver, British Columbia, security conference that has been the home of Pwn2Own. The dual-track contest -- one for browsers, the other for mobile operating systems -- will pit hackers against the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer (IE) and Safari running on Windows 7 or Mac OS X. The smartphone track will set hackers against Apple's iPhone 3GS, a Blackberry Bold 9700, a Nokia phone running the Symbian S60 platform and a Motorola, most likely a Droid, powered by Google's Android.

So, who do you think are the contenders for surviving this hacking challenge?

Read full report here and updates of the event here.

Pressing F1 In Internet Explorer flaw

Microsoft has confirmed that an unpatched Internet Explorer vulnerability makes it potentially dangerous to press F1 if you are running earlier versions of Windows.

A security bug in the VBScript technology bundled with Internet Explorer means that it might be possible to create a web site that displays a specially crafted dialog box that pushes malware providing a victim is tricked into pressing the F1 (help menu) key while viewing a booby-trapped site using Internet Explorer. The novel exploit technique works on older versions of Windows (Win 2000, XP and Server 2003). Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 are immune.

Proof of concept code is reportedly in circulation but Microsoft said: “We are not aware of attacks that try to use the reported vulnerabilities or of customer impact at this time.”

Redmond went on to criticise security researchers for not coming to them with the problem first in an advisory, published on Monday.

“Microsoft is concerned that this new report of a vulnerability was not responsibly disclosed, potentially putting computer users at risk. We continue to encourage responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities. We believe the commonly accepted practice of reporting vulnerabilities directly to a vendor serves everyone’s best interests. This practice helps to ensure that customers receive comprehensive, high-quality updates for security vulnerabilities without exposure to malicious attackers while the update is being developed.”

The advisory expands on an earlier holding statement in providing a list of potentially vulnerable systems, a preliminary risk assessment and suggested workarounds. Redmond security gnomes are still investigating the flaw but a decision to develop a patch looks like a big odds-on favourite if past form holds true.

Microsoft gave no indication of when a patch might become available but the next scheduled Patch Tuesday is only six days away, cutting it very fine to develop, much less test, a fix. An April or even May update for IE seems more likely.

Hackers prey on Google workers' friends

It has been discovered that the hackers who mounted the attacks on Google, Adobe and other companies recently breached, have targeted friends of employees that had access to proprietary data.

According to the Financial Times, the plan was simple: compromise the social network accounts of those friends, send messages with links that lead to spyware and so improve the chances of the victims clicking on the malicious link.

It obviously worked flawlessly. But, knowing now how they did it raises some serious points.

First, the attacks were obviously scrupulously planned. And second, the attacks included spying on people, so the likelihood of this being a government-sponsored effort has suddenly skyrocketed.

Security researchers also discovered that part of the code used in the attacks dates back to 2006, which means that attacks like these have been planned years ago.

Sobering facts, indeed.

How / what does Aurora work?

For the technical peeps who want to have a better understanding of what this Aurora can do, you can read the following articles:

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/trojanhydraq-incident

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/hydraq-vnc-connection

Microsoft Hurries Out IE Patch (for Aurora)

The time-honored idea of "Patch Tuesday" has gone out the window (no pun intended, promise) in response to an Internet Explorer vulnerability Microsoft's classified as critical. A patch will be issued today, Thursday the 21st, in response to the threat, instead.

This ties in to a couple of recent news stories. Remember the Google China attack that caused the search giant to threaten leaving the country? The same attack that may have affected Adobe, Dow Chemical, Northrop Grumman, Symantec, and Yahoo? The hole Microsoft's shutting today was used in that series of hacks.

Also, like the 17-year-old Windows flaw we wrote about yesterday, the IE vulnerability has been around for quite a while; an official list of affected software names everything from Windows 7 and IE 8 to Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer 5.01.

As for some other facts, the problem relates to remote code execution, Microsoft's patch should come out around 11 AM Redmond time, and installing the patch will require a system restart.

And if you need further evidence of the importance of this development, Microsoft said in a security bulletin that it "will host a webcast to address customer questions on the out-of-band bulletin on January 21, 2010, at 1:00 PM Pacific Time . . ." (The webcast will be available for viewing afterward, too.)

IT professionals and end users might want to respond as quickly as possible, allowing for a reasonable degree of convenience; just save your work and sacrifice a couple of minutes of computer time when the patch comes out.

It's not very often that Microsoft abandons the tradition of Patch Tuesday, and it's usually in everybody's best interest to pay attention when the corporation does.

7 Steps For Protecting Yourself From 'Aurora'

Microsoft patch is imminent, but here's a checklist for locking down in the meantim.

Microsoft today confirmed it will release an out-of-band emergency patch for the previously unknown Internet Explorer vulnerability that was abused in the attack against Google and others, and amid concerns the threat could be used for more widespread attacks.

The so-called "Aurora" attack exploit on IE 6, which was unleashed in the wild late last week, has raised alarm as researchers demonstrated the exploit code can be retooled to attack IE 7 and IE 8 as well, and can bypass Data Execution Protection (DEP). So far, just a few attacks have actually been spotted in the wild, according to Websense.

Though the exploit is just one piece of the puzzle in the attacks out of China, it's what we know for now and can at least try to mitigate, security experts say.

So with the exploit code taking on a life of its own and an IE patch on the horizon, how do you protect your computer in the meantime? Here are some steps Microsoft and other security firms recommend you can take now to help defend yourself:

1. Upgrade to IE 8 if you're an IE shop.
Despite concerns that IE 8 also could be compromised by the attack, Microsoft is still recommending the newest version of its browser as the safest.

Dino Dai Zovi, a security researcher and co-author of The Mac Hacker's Handbook, warns, however, that IE 8 on Windows XP SP3 isn't safe from this exploit, thanks to the latest research findings. "IE 8 on Windows Vista SP1 and above or Windows 7 is considerably more difficult to exploit," he says.

2. Enable DEP in IE.
DEP is automatically enabled in IE 8 on XP SP3, Vista SP1, Vista SP2, and Windows 7, but other versions of the browser require manually selecting DEP.

3. Run IE in Protected Mode on Visa and newer versions of Windows.
Microsoft says doing so limits the "impact" of an attack on the flaw.

4. Warn users about suspicious links that could be used for this attack or Websites containing online ads or user-generated content.
A user has to click on the malicious link to get infected with the malware, so remind people to be careful about links in email and instant messages, and to take care on the Web.

5. Limit user privileges.
If an attacker victimizes a user with administrative rights, then he would have the same access as that user.

6. Set Internet zone security in IE to "high."

7. Update all third-party applications with the latest versions and patches.
"Asking people to use a browser [other] than IE is not going to help one bit, unless the user also patches all other programs," says Thomas Kristensen, CSO at Secunia. "The reason is actually quite obvious -- more than 60 programs are installed on the average PC, approximately one out of five programs on the average PC are vulnerable, [and] some of these programs go unpatched for months, even years."

Full report.

Google China Hackers May Have Had Inside Man

Google's original announcement about an attack based in China was almost breathtaking; it was hard to imagine the tech leader, which employs thousands of brilliant people, losing so badly to hackers. But an explanation could be surfacing insofar as a new report's indicated that some Google employees may have helped the hackers.

Reuters - which isn't in the business of spreading baseless rumors - stated this morning, "Google is investigating whether one or more employees may have helped facilitate a cyber-attack that the U.S. search giant said it was a victim of in mid-December, two sources told Reuters on Monday."

More specifically, people who actually work for Google in China are said to be under the microscope.

From a how-did-they-do-it perspective, involvement on that end of things would make a lot of sense. It could explain why Google's ready to abandon China, too, since the corporation probably isn't equipped to fight the Chinese government (which most experts believe was behind the attacks) at every turn.

Still, any inward-looking investigation may just be a matter of Google covering its bases. It's a little too early to start comparing this matter to some spy thriller just yet.

Google hacked, plans to leave China

Although it does face a variety of cyber attacks on a regular basis, Google recently acknowledged the theft of intellectual property following a sophisticated attack on their infrastructure originating from China.

Investigation of the incident uncovered a more serious problem - at least twenty other large companies have been targeted as well. These are not only IT companies but doing business in a variety of sectors - finance, media, technology, etc. U.S. authorities are working with Google and the affected companies to try and understand the depth of the attacks.

It's not a secret that the Chinese government relies heavily on censorship as a way of control. There's evidence that these people are going the extra mile in order to retain control. Google suggests that a primary goal of the attacks was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists although their apparently failed to gain access to the accounts during this attack.

Following these events, Google is reviewing the feasibility of their business operations in China and they are no longer willing to continue censoring their search results on Google.cn.

Full report here.

Major IE8 flaw makes 'safe' sites unsafe

The latest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser contains a bug that can enable serious security attacks against websites that are otherwise safe.

The flaw in IE 8 can be exploited to introduce XSS, or cross-site scripting, errors on webpages that are otherwise safe, according to two Register sources, who discussed the bug on the condition they not be identified. Microsoft was notified of the vulnerability a few months ago, they said.

Ironically, the flaw resides in a protection added by Microsoft developers to IE 8 that's designed to prevent XSS attacks against sites. The feature works by rewriting vulnerable pages using a technique known as output encoding so that harmful characters and values are replaced with safer ones. A Google spokesman confirmed there is a "significant flaw" in the IE 8 feature but declined to provide specifics.

Full report here.

What is a browser?

If a major piece of your security strategy revolves around employee training, the following video might be a major setback. Many security pros pride themselves on the amount of training they give their employees. But I wonder, is it all for naught?

A Google employee took a camera and microphone onto the streets of New York City to find out if non-techies knew what a browser is and the results were astounding. Less than 8% of those interviewed knew. And these guys don’t reside in an assisted living facility or a 55 and over community. Many of them could have Facebook accounts and even Twitter handles.

After watching the video, I wonder, how would I begin a security training program if many of my employees don’t know what a browser is?

Phishing sounds like a foreign language and malware sounds like a bad word. Maybe the next generation will have a better understanding. But how long can we wait?

Microsoft Warns Of IE Vulnerability

Microsoft has issued a security advisory about a privately reported vulnerability in its Video ActiveX Control.

The company says that users running IE6 or IE7 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are at risk for attacks, but Windows Vista and Server 2008 and those running IE8 are not at risk.

"An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user," Microsoft said in its advisory. "We are aware of attacks attempting to exploit the vulnerability."

Microsoft said it is working with its partners to provide information they can use to provide broader protections to customers. "Microsoft is currently working to develop a security update for Windows to address this vulnerability," the company said.

Microsoft is recommending users remove support for ActiveX Video Control until a fix is in place.

"When the ActiveX control is used in Internet Explorer, the control may corrupt the system state in such a way that an attacker could run arbitrary code," the Redmond, Washington-based company said.

Attackers can exploit the vulnerability when Internet users visit websites with malicious code. Unsuspecting users may receive emails requesting they visit malicious websites.

"Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights," Microsoft said.

AVG Releases Free Real-Time Search Virus Scanner

AVG has pretty good timing considering the recent success cybercrooks have had with manipulating search results to direct searchers to malicious websites. The security company released a free tool today that scans links before users click on them.

AVG LinkScanner, available for free download, checks URLs ahead of clicking by scanning the webpage and alerting the user if the site contains malicious code. When used in conjunction with Google, Yahoo, or MSN, the tool shows green check marks beside safe results and red exes beside unsafe ones. The tool also works with links in email, IMs, and bookmarks.

Available for Windows XP and Vista users, AVG's LinkScanner prevents users from downloading compromised webpages.

The tool scans pages individually, so prevention and labels only apply to one page on a given website, not the entire site itself.

The free scanning tool comes at a good time as Google has been struggling with malicious pages making their way high up in the search results before the search engine can identify them as attack sites. The problem has gotten bad enough that Google says its ranking algorithm will be tweaked to make this less likely.

No word yet on whether the tool also works with URL shorteners, used on social networks and microblogging platforms like Facebook and Twitter to fit links into character limits. Recently hackers have been using URL shorteners to trick users into clicking out to malicious sites.