Hi-tech criminals are “escalating” attacks on an unpatched bug in the Windows XP help and support system.
Microsoft said it had seen more than 10,000 machines hit by the attack that, so far, it has not found a fix for.
Windows PC’s falling victim will have control of that machine handed over to attackers.
Microsoft said the attacks had gone from theoretical to real very quickly and urged users to take steps to protect themselves.
To avoid falling victim, Microsoft advised users to turn off the part of the Help and Support system that is vulnerable. It has produced an automated tool that can do this for users.
Mr Ferguson from Trend Micro said there were other steps users could take to stay safe. “It is important to ensure that your security software is capable of identifying and blocking malicious websites,” he said, “as you can be sure that the criminals behind this will be constantly updating their malicious files to try and avoid traditional security.”
Microsoft said it was working on a lasting fix for the loophole.
Source: BBC Technology
