Sophos unveils Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool

IT
security and control firm, href="http://www.ciol.com/Technology/Security/News-Reports/Sophos-warns-of-Horrific-cola-video/138905/0/">Sophos
has released a free tool to protect
against a Windows zero-day vulnerability that is being actively
exploited to infect computers.

The
Sophos Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool protects against a
high-profile vulnerability that allows malicious hackers to exploit a
bug in the way that all versions of Windows handles .LNK shortcut
files. If Windows just displays the icon of an exploited shortcut
file, malicious code can be executed, without requiring any
interaction by the user.

But
Sophos's free tool, intercepts shortcut files that contain the
exploit, warning of the executable code that was attempting to run.
That means it will stop malicious threats, which use the
vulnerability if they are on non-local disks, such as a USB stick.

"So
far we have seen the Stuxnet and Dulkis worms, as well as the Chymin
Trojan horse, exploiting the shortcut vulnerability to help them
spread and infect computer systems. Stuxnet made the headlines
because it targeted the Siemens SCADA systems that look after
critical infrastructure like power plants, but there's a warning for
all computer users here," said Graham Cluley, Senior Technology
Consultant at Sophos. "Details of how to exploit the security
hole are now published on the Web, meaning it is child's play for
other hackers to take advantage and create attacks."

"No-one
knows
when Microsoft will roll-out a proper patch for this critical
security hole, and its current workaround leaves systems almost
unworkable with broken-looking icons," continued Cluley. "The
free tool from Sophos can be run alongside any existing anti-virus
software, providing generic protection against the exploit. Unlike
Microsoft's workaround, it doesn't blank out all the shortcuts on
your Windows Start Menu - meaning your life - and that of your users
- will be less stressful," he added.