A flaw in Microsoft Corp's almost universally used Windows operating system could allow hackers to take control of a PC by luring users to a malicious Web site and coaxing them into clicking on a link, the company warned on Tuesday.
The world's largest software maker issued the warning as part of its monthly security bulletin, along with a patch to fix the problem.
The security warning was rated "important," the second most serious on Microsoft's four-tiered rating scale for computer security threats. The highest is "critical."
Anti-virus software company Symantec Corp called the vulnerability a "high risk" due to the impact the flaw could have if successfully exploited.