Microsoft is sounding the alarm in Apple’s camp, warning that a previously disclosed flaw in the Safari browser could spell trouble for Windows users. Another flaw in Web Explorer makes the situation worse.

Apple is not treating the blended threat as a protection issue, but as a further reason to raise the bar against unwanted downloads. Who will take responsibility for fixing the issue remains to be seen.

protection researcher Nitesh Dhanjani originally disclosed the Safari bug on May 15. The flaw allows attackers to dump executable files on a victim’s desktop, a tactic known as “carpet bombing.”

whether the Safari flaw is exploited in combination with an unpatched bug in Net Explorer, it opens the door for attackers to run unauthorized software on a victim’s computer.

“Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a blended threat that allows remote cipher execution on all supported versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista when Apple’s Safari for Windows has been installed,”

How Big is the Threat?

Ironically, the combined threat has probably become greater thanks to media attention generated by the spat within Microsoft and Apple on that flaw, according to Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“The good news is that Safari still has a small market share amongst Windows users compared to Net Explorer and Firefox, and so most cybercriminals are unlikely to try and take advantage of it,” Cluley said. “However, there are bound to be some in the Net underground who will be tempted to see whether they can exploit and widen that defense gap, to see what is possible.”

that isn’t, of course, the first moment eyebrows have been raised about Apple Safari on Windows. Recently Apple was criticized for pushing Safari onto Windows users of iTunes rather too aggressively.

What Will Apple Do?

To its credit, Microsoft has built up a…

Orginal post by Top Tech News