The Internet Explorer Security Flap

Most of the time Internet Explorer (like Navigator) asks you before downloading a file off the Internet. But for several types of files, specifically links to other files, Internet Explorer downloads and runs them directly. This was convenient and seemed safe, because what is the harm of linking to another link? But a student at Worcestor Polytechnic Institute realized that these links could actually reference local files (like "c:/finances.xls"). Now, no one knows the exact contents of your hard drive, but most Windows 95 installations look the same, and that means the locations of common programs (like the ones that erase files and format hard drives) tend to be the same. A data thief could easily take advantage of this and create a link that did all sorts of damage. And all because you clicked on the link that said, "Click here for racy pictures of Anthony Lake." Microsoft has since released a fix that forces users to approve loading all types of files. The whole scoop, including the appropriate patches to Internet Explorer, can be found here.