Internet Explorer vulnerability

If you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser on Windows XP: a particularly vicious "vulnerabilty" was recently discovered, and some bad guys have started to exploit it. This vulnerability does not reequire you to click or to download anything special. If a web-site has been compromised, you can get it simply by visiting a page.

If you browse web-sites that you trust, and that you have reason to believe have good security practices (e.g., Hotmail, Amazon, or your bank), you ought to be fine [though there are never any guarantees]. On the other hand, if you visit new web-sites frequently, or web-sites hosted by amateurs, it's a good idea to use Firefox or some other browser for a few weeks, while Microsoft rolls out a patch.

I don't normally warn folk about viruses; this isn't one of the regular scare stories that does the rounds of email. [For more info see this.]