Microsoft issues critical warning over Explorer bug
Microsoft has issued a critical warning over a bug that affects 900 million people using its Internet Explorer web browser.
In a security advisory, the computer giant has alerted its users to a newly-discovered flaw in Windows that could potentially be used by malicious hackers to steal personal details or hijack computers.
Microsoft says the problem is with the way Explorer handles MHTML files on specific type of web pages and is likely to affect every user of the browser.
This means it will affect all versions of the operating system currently supported including Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 (R2).
However, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 are safe if installed using the Server Core installation option.
Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari browsers are also protected from the threat because, unlike Internet Explorer, they don't support MHTML files.
Related: Battle of the browsers
Microsoft also admitted users could easily be fooled into downloading malicious content by doing something as simple as clicking on a web link.
The company has described the flaw as a serious threat, although there is no evidence of hackers having exploited the loophole yet.
While the company has not been able to fix the bug, it has released a "fix it" security patch to block any attempts to use it.
It's now urging all Windows users - especially those who use Internet Explorer - to download the fix while their security team works on a solution.
