Microsoft has issued a patch to fix the security flaw, and urges its customers to use a new utility to locate the computer applications that are vulnerable. The Seattle-based software giant has listed the problem as "critical."

Because of a problem with the way that Windows handles JPEG image files, malicious code could be executed on a user’s machine if they simply view an ordinary image file. Attackers could create an image file, which would run a malicious program on the victim’s computer as soon as the image is viewed. Because Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is vulnerable, users could be attacked just by visiting a website that has affected images.

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