However, the download only represents a stop-gap measure, addressing only the current known threat, Download.Ject. Further patches are still awaited from Microsoft to fix the underlying problem with its near-ubiquitous browser.
On 24th June, the servers of several web sites were infected with Download.Ject. A visit to the site would trigger an attempt to download a virus from a Russian site, which has since been shut down.
According to the company, Friday's download is a configuration change for those running the Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 operating systems, improving resiliency against the Download.Ject attack.
Further updates will be made available in coming weeks and, later this summer, Microsoft will release Windows XP Service Pack 2 which promises improved security features for network, e-mail and web browsing.
See: Windows Update