Microsoft has announced that a serious exploit in Microsoft’s Video ActiveX Control can allow hijackers complete access to a remote system.

The zero day exploit affects Internet Explorer 6 and 7 users when they visit an infected web site if they are using either Windows XP or Windows 2003.

Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 users are safe for now. No patch is currently available but Microsoft has posted a workaround for the exploit.

A patch is in the works, but no details on when it will be released have been announced.

Links:

• Enable workaround
• Disable workaround

Microsoft is proposing to release Windows 7 E in the European Union (EU), a version of Windows without Internet Explorer.

The move is aimed at pleasing the European Commission regulators who are currently taking action against Microsoft over it’s bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows.

If agreed upon, Microsoft will completely remove Internet Explorer from Windows, and not just hide the browser like is currently possible. Despite this move, manufactures are still likely to release PC including Internet Explorer.

We will let you know Microsoft’s final decision when it is made.

Latest news coming from the European Union’s (EU) anti-trust case against the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows suggests that one possible remedy could be the inclusion of other browsers in an installation of Windows.

The move could potentially see Opera Browser, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome bundled with Windows in Europe with the user being asked which browser they would like to set as their default on first run.

Any ruling against Microsoft would see a solution that “would be based on the fundamental principle of unbiased choice” said a EU spokesperson. Microsoft has said they they will comply with any ruling. A final decision is due in the next few months.

Google has released software called O3D which aims to bring accelerated 3D graphics to the web browser.

O3D is a plug-in available for all major browsers on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

The technology works by allowing developers access to a computers 3D hardware simply by using JavaScript.

The plug-in is available from Google today, and the website includes live demo’s and a video showing off the technology.

Mozilla is looking at dropping support for Windows 2000 and versions of Windows XP without at least SP3 installed in early 2010.

The idea is hardly a surprise, as the extended support period offered by Microsoft for the operating systems is ending on 13th July 2010, and would see the requirements for Gecko 1.9.2 raised – Firefox’s rendering engine.

Firefox 3.5 (aka 3.1) are built using Gecko 1.9.1, so the change will not affect users on current or next version of Firefox.

Full discussion on the issue can be read on the mozilla.dev.planning newsgroup.

Microsoft has confirmed that it has received a one-week extension from EU antitrust regulators to respond to charges stemming to anti-competitive behaviour.

The complaint is for Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, hence discouraging competition in the browser market.

At this point it should be noted that with early builds of Windows 7, Internet Explorer can be removed from the system.

If Microsoft loose, the company may be forced to offer multiple browsers with new copies of Windows.

Microsoft have till April 28 to respond to the Commission’s statement of objections.

Apple has released Safari 4 beta to the public.

The release is incredibly impressive, with over 150 new features, including support for some HTML5 elements along with improvements in the rendering engine.

Safari 4 also scores an impressive 100/100 in Acid 3 which tests a browsers standards compatibility. Opera 10 alpha and Safari 4 beta are now the only two main web browsers to reach this feat.

Safari 4 includes a new JavaScript rendering engine called Nitro. It’s claimed to be 4 times faster than Firefox 3.1 and 6 times faster than Internet Explorer 8. Benchmark results should be out soon.

Users can download Safari 4 beta for both Windows and Mac today.

Apple has issued an update to its Safari browser for Windows users.

The browser, with version number 3.2.2, fixes an RSS vulnerability found in the browser mid January.

You can read the full details of the update in the support article. The update should be pushed out to Windows users, or users can download the update manually from the Safari website.

Mozilla has been granted permission by the European Commission to join the suit with Opera against Microsoft for bundeling Internet Explorers with Windows.

Microsoft has been accused with distorting competition in the market for web browsers. If found guilty, Microsoft could be forced to offer other browser upon Windows installation.

Mozilla’s chairperson Mitchell Baker said that Microsoft is harming “competition between web browsers,” and undermining “product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice.”

Opera’s chief executive Jon von Tetzchner said “the only way to give users a genuine choice is to strip out IE from Windows and either replace it with a rival browser or offer users a list of browsers to choose from.”

The case is still only in its early stages.