REDMOND, Wash., July 6 (UPI) -- A temporary software patch has been released by the Microsoft Corp. for users of its Internet Explorer browser vulnerable to security breaches.
The breach made it possible for hackers to steal passwords and private account information stolen when a user is logged on to banking sites.
But Monday's patch release does not repair the flaw in the software. Rather turns off a function within the Windows operating system as a temporary measure, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
A Microsoft spokesman said a full corrective update is being developed.
Discovered last week, the vulnerability does not affect the Mac version of IE, and the company said most consumer users will see little or no differences using the temporary fix, but cautioned some corporate users may lose some capabilities until the full upgrade becomes available.
In the attacks last week, a virus was programmed to record users' keystrokes at any of 50 banking sites and relay that data to a site in Russia. That plan was interrupted when Internet providers blocked traffic to the Russian site.
The software is available at microsoft.com/downloadject.
