Internet Explorer 6 may crash if you visit a Web site that contains an MFC ActiveX control after you install MS09-014

After you install security update 963027 (MS09-014) on a computer that is running Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer may close unexpectedly (crash) when you visit a Web site that contains a Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC)-based ActiveX control. The crash is most likely to occur when you refresh (press F5) or close the Web page.

This problem can occur in the following scenario:

• The MFC-based ActiveX control receives the pointer to the client site by calling the COleControl::GetClientSite method.
• The ActiveX control uses the client site directly without calling the AddRef() method, but still calls the Release() method afterward.

For more information about security update 963027, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

This problem occurs because the COleControl::GetClientSite method (from MFC) does not call the AddRef() method by itself. The additional Release() method causes the client site to be freed earlier than it should be.

The following is an example.

To resolve this problem, manually call the AddRef() method after loading the client site by calling the COleControl::GetClientSite method.

The following is an example.Note This solution applies only to MFC-based ActiveX controls.

If the problem is not resolved, visit the following Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find other solutions: The Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site provides the following additional resources:

Searchable Knowledge Base: Search technical support information and self-help tools for Microsoft products. Solution Centers: View product-specific frequently asked questions and support highlights. Microsoft Customer Support Newsgroups: Contact counterparts, peers, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). Other Support Options: Use the Web to ask a question, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services, or provide feedback.

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

For more information about this topic, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Developer Network: