Microsoft is jumping its regular monthly patch schedule to release a patch this Tuesday for the animated cursor attack that’s been roughhousing Windows users since it was discovered last week.
Update MS07-017 will take care of this vulnerability in Windows Animated Cursor Handling, a component of Windows. The regular schedule would have been for patches to come out on Tuesday, April 10. However, Microsoft said in a statement, the company “is aware of the existence of a public attack utilizing the vulnerability.”
Testing has been completed earlier than anticipated, Microsoft said, and is being released so as to help protect customers.
The company said its ongoing monitoring of attack data indicates that the attacks and customer impact have been limited. Microsoft is encouraging users to download MS07-17 to protect themselves from current exploitation.
Consumers who use Automatic Updates will be updated automatically. You can also manually download the update at Windows Update. More information is available here.