Hole in popular Internet security program

(Washington-AP) -- A programming mistake in a popular consumer Internet protection program can give hackers control over a user's computer. <br><br>The publisher says all current versions of BlackICE

Monday, February 11th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Washington-AP) -- A programming mistake in a popular consumer Internet protection program can give hackers control over a user's computer.

The publisher says all current versions of BlackICE Defender and BlackICE Agent that are running on Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP, are vulnerable.

They're made by Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems. BlackICE is designed to protect home computers from hacker attacks.

The company has released an update that plugs the hole. It can be downloaded through the ISS Web site, or through the program itself.

Researchers at eEye Digital Security in California found the problem while probing a related hole. The patch fixes both problems.

In December, the same eEye team discovered a similar problem in Microsoft's Windows XP operating system.