Microsoft issues warning about Windows XP bug

London: Microsoft has reportedly issued a warning about a security bug in the older version Windows XP, which could potentially let attackers exploit a computer.

Windows XP was rolled out in 2001 but it is still widely used, and the software maker has warned that cyber criminals are increasingly taking advantage of the security flaw in the OS and Server 2003.

According to the BBC, Microsoft has taken the unusual step of issuing a temporary fix for the bug, but it has acknowledged that applying the fix could disrupt some of the functions of the operating system that people regularly use.

The report said that security firm FireEye discovered the bug that lets an attacker piggyback on a known flaw in some older versions of Adobe Reader and through that the attackers were able to 'escalate' the access they were granted to the system to eventually allow them to install their own code.

Microsoft said that it was aware of limited, targeted attacks using the combined bug to attack PCs and has advised customers to turn off some services to stop the attack.

FireEye said that people who have upgraded to the latest version of Adobe Reader will not be vulnerable to the combined attack, the report added.