http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/19/0day_ie_exploit_fears/
I take it that using an alternative browser wasn't a solution offered by Microsoft
No patch is available but Microsoft has posted a bulletin detailing possible workarounds. These include disabling ActiveX controls, setting the kill bit for msdds.dll and unregistering msdds.dll. Use of an alternative browser (such as Firefox, Opera) is also an option.
I take it that using an alternative browser wasn't a solution offered by Microsoft