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Security Best Practice: Blocking Internet Explorer 6

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Check Point Reference: SBP-2010-12
Date Published:
Severity:
Source: IPS Research Center
Protection Provided by: Security Gateway
  • R70
Who is Vulnerable?
Internet Explorer 6
Vulnerability Description
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) is the sixth major revision of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems. It was released on August 27, 2001. It is the default browser shipped with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, and was also made available for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows 2000. Although IE6 has now been superseded by newer versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft still supports it in Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3.
Vulnerability Details
This version of Internet Explorer is widely known for its security issues and lack of support for modern web standards. Campaigns have been established to encourage users to upgrade to newer versions of Internet Explorer or switch to different browsers, and some websites have dropped support for IE6 entirely.

Protection Overview
This protection will detect and block Internet Explorer 6.

In order for the protection to be activated, update your Security Gateway product to the latest IPS update. For information on how to update IPS, go to SBP-2006-05, Protection tab and select the version of your choice.

To configure the defense, select your product from the list below and follow the related protection steps.

Security Gateway R70

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the IPS tab, click Protections > By Protocol > Web Intelligence > HTTP Client Protections > Microsoft Internet Explorer Vulnerabilities.
2. In the right pane, double-click the Internet Explorer 6 protection.
3. In the Protection Details window, click on Edit. Choose the protection's Action (Override IPS Policy with: Prevent/Detect), and apply Additional Settings.
4. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries:

Attack Name: Web Client Enforcement Violation
Attack Information: Internet Explorer 6