The debate over third-party patching

The debate over using third-party patches has reared up once again as experts warn such an approach can actually end up causing more security headaches than the original flaw. That's exactly what some experts claim will happen if you decide to use the Zert patch for the newly discovered IE vulnerability for which Microsoft has yet to issue a fix. As one security guru notes, the decision to go with a third-party band-aid isn't a decision IT leaders should leave up to security vendors because only tech leaders can discern the pros and cons of the situation. The main problem is that while a third-party patch can plug a hole, it might not prove compatible with the official fix when it's finally released.

For more on using third-party patches:
- Here's an article from Vnunet