The severity of a recently discovered bug in Windows has made Microsoft release a patch for the loophole early.
Originally Microsoft was due to release the patch on 10 January as part of its regular monthly security updates.But the number of malicious hackers preparing to exploit the bug has led the software giant to speed up the release.
Before Microsoft produced its patch, users had been relying on unofficial fixes to protect themselves.
The fix now available closes a loophole found in the way that many versions of Windows handle certain types of images. By putting exploit code in webpages or e-mail attachments, the loophole could be used to take over a Windows PC or install spyware that could be used to gather confidential information.
Vulnerable versions of Windows include include ME, 2000, XP and Server 2003.
