Microsoft has had a vulnerability for 17 years, finally being patched in the current security update. Update security patches are to your computer what dead bolts, peep holes, and security systems are to your home. They eliminate the use of bug spray. Nevertheless, having gotten tons of updates, which presumably fix problems of security by automatic updates, it doesn't end up simplifying our lives. The bad guys find new holes as soon as Microsoft can fix them.
The ancient bug was discovered by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy in January 2010 and involves a utility that allows newer versions of Windows to run very old programs. Mr Ormandy has found a way to exploit this utility in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008 as well as Windows Vista and Windows 7. for the whole article on BBC today, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8499859.stm.
So update and feel safe for the few minutes it takes for a hacker to find another way to mess up our computers. Like mountain climbers who climb because it is there, hackers hack 'because it is there'.
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