Microsoft patches bust websites

ActiveX clash running some users into trouble…

Two Microsoft security updates for Internet Explorer can break the functionality of websites that use certain custom applications.

The problems occur after installing the patches Microsoft delivered with security bulletins MS05-038 and MS05-052, Microsoft said in two advisories posted on its website on Wednesday. The bulletins were issued in August and October, respectively.

Both patches can cause problems with ActiveX controls, small programs designed to perform simple tasks that can make a website more interactive. The MS05-038 patch can also hinder Java applications. After the patches are installed, applications that are programmed in specific ways will no longer work in Internet Explorer, Microsoft said.

Any problems caused by MS05-038 and MS05-052 affect only a few users, Stephen Toulouse, a program manager in Microsoft’s Security Response Center wrote on the MSRC blog late Wednesday. “As a result of these changes that we made for security sake, for a limited amount of customers some pages may not load as expected,” he wrote.

Full story: silicon.com