Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday warned about a serious flaw in almost every version of its popular Windows software that could allow hackers to seize control of a person's computer when victims read e-mails or visit Web sites.

Microsoft assessed the problem's urgency as critical, its highest level, and urged customers to download a free repairing patch immediately from its Web site, www.microsoft.com/security.

The company said it was unaware of any reports that hackers already had used the technique to break into computers, but the time between disclosure of a new flaw and such break-ins has become increasingly short.

Complete story is available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54371-2003Mar19.html

As with all such viruses, Mac users are immune from the threat.

My own glaring error is that this is not a virus, but a system flaw. This does not change the fact that your biggest security threat is a Microsoft operating system.

If I were to ask a rhetorical question, it would be this -- If Microsoft is unaware of any reports that hackers had already used the technique **and** the flaw exists in every version of its software, how did it suddenly become a "critical - its highest security level" problem?

Someone probably hacked Microsoft again

hahaha, i wouldent be surprised

|linux4life|

Gee... aren't us Windows users screwed. As long as no one decides to take the hot bikini chick (angela devi) that's on my desktop and replace the pic with some naked guy named "Trevor the Luver" then I guess the problem isn't too much out of hand as of yet

Unless, of course, it's the hot bikini chick desktop picture that's the security hole...

or if that hot bikini chick makes you get all sorts of popup ads and similiar bs

I don't know what the hell they think they can gain by hacking my system. I keep anything I value on my Apple computer.That way I'm more than reasonably assured it won't all get lost in the big crash of the month! hahaha I'd love to kick Bill Gates in his a**.

I'd love for Bill to create a decent OS that can actually compete with Apple. I mean to him it's quantity sold not quality, as it appears is the case with Apple. I'm soooo incredibly tired of hearing about this crap and believe me if I had the money and the Mac versions of the software I've already bought, I would gladly switch!

I would love to create a new OS to compete with Apple but I just don't have the time.

Windows reached a dominant position through dirty marketing and dirty marketing will keep it there for the forseeable future, no matter how poor the quality is.
Another day, another bug.

am i supposed to be supprised about this? come on we all know windows is HIGHLY insecure so why is this new.

Windows sucks, macs suck more(better, but the improvements are nothing over the overpriced hardware and high incompatibility), linux sucks less(there ARE windows alternatives for many things if you _want_ to find them), this should be known by now, this is old news since I've heard the same shit so many times before...

meh.

Sounds like MS is trying a new phone home fix! Ever wonder why MS is always updating the fixes

I agree with Smelvie.

Bill, anything you can whip up would surely be marketed better than Apple if nothing else

I love Microsoft-bashers. They are just another huge world-spanning conglomerate like any other, no different from Pepsi or McDonalds. I ESPECIALLY how everyone expects Windows versions to be great and secure.

Think about it. The OS is written by PEOPLE. Other people work on defeating it. You are naive beyond reckoning if you think MS has even the MAJORITY of computer brilliance on it's payroll (although, they definitely lap Novell and Apple, sorry, MacHeads) If people targeted Linux or Jaguar this way, there would be breaches everywhere too. It's just that no one bothers virusing or hacking MAC OS or Linux. Cause everyone uses MS.

You guys get all randy whenever Ford announces another weakness in their Explorer muffler joint?

Windows XP has over 40 million lines of code. It is difficult to keep track of check and fix that many lines. At least be thankful they are fixing the holes as soon as possible. Anyways you could always use linux if you dont like windows, it open source and you can change whatever you like on it and modify it to fit your needs.