Judging by my inbox, lots of you downloaded a bootleg copy of Windows 7 build 6956 from BitTorrent, and now you have it running. But no matter how hard you try, you can�t update its built-in copy of Internet Explorer 8 with this week�s extremely critical out-of-band security update, which Microsoft turned around in record time.

That�s the downside of running software from unauthorized channels. You see, the build zipping around the BitTorrent tubes right now is a random �daily build,� one of many that was produced during the run-up to the upcoming beta release of Windows 7. Anyone who would have had authorized access to that build (Microsoft employees, OEM partners, a tiny corps of trusted beta testers) already has authorized access to more recent builds (including, rumors say, the final beta release itself) that can be updated with a supported version of this crucial IE8 patch. So, logically enough, Microsoft�s security team doesn�t release an update for that leaked version, just as it didn�t release an update for build 6952 or build 6961. As a result, you�re vulnerable if you visit a compromised website using the unpatched version of IE8.