Microsoft Internet Explorer Scriptlet Rendering Vulnerability
By design, the Scriptlet Component of Microsoft Internet
Explorer (the ActiveX control that invokes scriplets) is only
supposed to render HTML files. However, it will render any file
type.  Due to this design error, a malicious website operator
may gain read access to known files on a remote system by
injecting valid HTML code into a file that would be run at the
privilege level of the Local Computer Zone. This file may
contain a script that could forward the contents of known files
to the website operator. The files that can be read are limited
to what can be open in a browser window (eg. txt, .htm or .js
files, not .exe files).  Update (December 1, 2000): A new
variant of this vulnerability was discovered. Microsoft has
released a new patch to address all known variants of this
vulnerability.   Privacy Statement Copyright 2010, SecurityFocus