Back on Jan. 8, released some critical patches for Windows XP and Vista. Now security researchers have developed attack code that targets computers which have not been updated with this latest fix.

So far, the malicious code will only cause a PC to crash. However, a more dangerous attack could soon follow, if the code is combined with software, for example. In that case, a computer could be silently enlisted in a remote-controlled hacker network of compromised machines, and used to attack or infect other PCs, and so on. This latest problem affects mostly networks, and therefore businesses with many computers.

It concerns the way handles network traffic. It is serious because no action is required by the user to infect a machine. Also, large businesses usually take some time to test and install Windows updates. During that time, of course, the hackers are busy reverse engineering the flaw to see how it can be exploited.

That is why it is important to update your Windows as soon as possible.

An infected machine could allow the behind the flaw to run unauthorized code, or, in effect, seize control of the PC. The malicious code would then spread to other computers on the network. The researchers have not released the code to the public, but you can be sure the criminals are working on it.

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online. He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century. Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here: = > http://MyPCSecuritySite.com

You may include these Tips in your web sites and publications provided they remain unchanged and include the above paragraph, with the author’s name and web site. You can also get a direct URL to this post. Click the title, then copy the URL in the browser address bar.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!