Microsoft is now offering an automated workaround to mitigate the Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability it announced last week. The "Fix It" solution mitigates the bug "by disabling the peer factory class through the modification of a registry key," according to a Friday blog post. The flaw currently is being exploited in targeted attacks, the company said. The issue does not affect Microsoft's newest browser, IE 8. Even with the new workaround, Microsoft may release an out-of-band patch because its next scheduled security update is not due until April 13. — DK