Microsoft offers anti-hacker remedy for browser flaws.
Microsoft has released a patch to correct six new security flaws in its Internet Explorer browser.
The patch covers three critical and three moderate flaws in the free internet software.
They affect the three latest versions of Internet Explorer, including the version found in Windows XP.
Microsoft's free downloadable patch also ensures users have updated their systems to include past patches.
Christopher Budd, security programme manager for Microsoft, said the most serious of the flaws could allow a hacker to run any program on a user's computer simply by emailing the user a website, or luring the user to the website.
Mr Budd said the potential security breach, called a "buffer overrun", was discovered by Russian internet security researchers, with whom Microsoft worked to develop a fix.
The other two critical flaws could permit a malicious user to read a person's files, although the hacker would have to know exactly what the files were and where they were stored.
Other flaws could mislead a user into opening an unsafe file or instruct a computer to run a script even if the user had disabled that function for security reasons.
In the wake of security flaws such as these, Microsoft has said it will redouble its efforts to make its product safe from hacker attacks.
A memo sent by chief software architect Bill Gates instructed employees to make security a top priority.
source:www.blackcode.com
