70,000 downloads for eEye IE patch

UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, eEye said its patch had now been downloaded 70,000 times.

eEye Digital Security's unofficial fix for a high-profile Internet Explorer flaw is proving popular. The patch has been downloaded about 34,000 times since it was released on Monday, the company said Tuesday.

eEye only knows the number of downloads; the company can't track how many times the patch has actually been installed. "If they knew when it gets installed, it would be considered spyware," a representative from eEye's public relations agency said in an e-mail.

The eEye fix is one of two third-party patches that have been released to plug the IE hole. Determina, which like eEye makes intrusion prevention software, has also put out a temporary patch.

Both fixes are meant to protect Windows PCs against cyberattacks that exploit a recently disclosed IE vulnerability Microsoft has yet to provide an update for. The software maker has not endorsed either fix, saying that as a rule it doesn't recommend installing outside patches.

Security experts have also recommended against applying the unofficial fixes. Instead, people should follow Microsoft's advice and disable the Active Scripting feature in IE, or simply use a different Web browser, experts said.

Microsoft has said it is working on a fix for the browser. That update is currently slated for delivery on April 11, Microsoft's regular monthly patch day. However, the Redmond, Wash., company has said it is considering an earlier release.