Internet Explorer 6 may close unexpectedly when you try to use digest proxy authentication to connect to HTTPS Web sites

When you try to use digest proxy authentication to connect to Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) Web sites, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 may close unexpectedly. This problem occurs when Internet Explorer connects to HTTPS Web sites by using the Microsoft Windows Internet (WinINet) application programming interface (API) together with digest proxy authentication.

This problem occurs because the Wininet.dll file incorrectly handles HTTP 407 error codes that occur during digest proxy authentication.

This problem is fixed in Windows Internet Explorer 7. To obtain Internet Explorer 7, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must be running Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (SP1), Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), or Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 (SP4).

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 SP1

Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 SP2

Windows XP SP2 x86 version

Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP1 x86 version

To work around this problem, do not use the HTTPS protocol. You can use a different proxy authentication method. Different proxy authentication methods include NTLM and Kerberos.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.