Microsoft released a security patch Thursday for a serious security flaw in its Internet Explorer browser that had enabled hackers to take control of users' computers, according to dpa. Contrary to expectations, the patch also covers users of Windows XP, an older operating system still in widespread use which Microsoft stopped officially supporting on April 8. Microsoft first warned users about the vulnerability over the weekend, saying that hackers could take over targeted computers by getting users to visit an infected website. 'The security of our products is something we take incredibly seriously, so the news coverage of the last few days about a vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) has been tough for our customers and for us,' wrote Microsoft security executive Adrienne Hall on a Microsoft blog. 'This means that when we saw the first reports about this vulnerability we said fix it, fix it fast, and fix it for all our customers. So we did.' Hall said that Microsoft decided to offer a fix for Windows XP users because the security flaw had come to light so close to the end of the support deadline. The fix is automatically downloaded to customers who have automatic updates turned on. Other users of Windows have to manually check for updates to install the new code.
