Microsoft releases official patch to WMF flaw

Microsoft has released the official patch for the Windows Media File exploit (the link I included here is for the patch for XP systems; go to the update page for this patch if you need a different version). If you did the smart thing and installed the hotfix from Ilfak Guilfanov earlier, you need to uninstall that before installing the official patch. So:

1. Download the patch from Microsoft, saving the file to your desktop or any location you can easily find
2. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel
3. Double-click Add or Remove Programs
4. Scroll down until you find "Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability Hotfix 1.2"
5. Click once to highlight "Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability Hotfix 1.2" and click Remove
6. At this point you'll probably have to reboot your machine
7. After rebooting, locate the downloaded patch and double-click to run it
8. After the patch installs, you'll need to reboot once more

Microsoft hemmed and hawed about releasing this patch before next Tuesday (when they'd normally be releasing patches anyway). Fortunately, there was enough outcry that Microsoft decided to release the patch as soon as they finished testing.