Microsoft investigates years-old IE bug

Microsoft last Friday said it was looking into a long-known vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) that could be used to access users' data and Web-based accounts.

The bug can allow hackers to hijack Web mail accounts, steal data and send illicit tweets, said Google security engineer Chris Evans in a message posted on the Full Disclosure mailing list.

Evans also published a demonstration that showed how the flaw in IE8 could be used to commandeer a user's Twitter account and send unauthorized tweets.

The vulnerability, known as a "CSS cross-origin theft" bug, has a long history. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, who recently published a paper on the subject, have traced it back as far as 2002. Those researchers will present their paper at the Conference on Computer and Communications Security next month.

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