PC users are being urged to apply software patches that close “critical” vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows.

The flaws have proved popular with malicious hackers, who are keen to steal confidential data from PCs. Hackers have created hundreds of web pages that use the bug to take over vulnerable computers.

Security firms had produced software to protect users, since Microsoft resisted calls to release patches early.

Microsoft played down the threat posed by the crop of vulnerabilities and said it could find little evidence that they were being widely exploited. On the Microsoft Security Response Center blog it said there was only evidence of “limited attacks”.

Source: BBC