Microsoft issued a security advisory late yesterday alerting users to a flaw in IE software that could allow hackers to hijack their PCs.

“Microsoft is investigating a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. When using Internet Explorer, code execution is remote and may not require any user intervention,” Microsoft said in a warning posted online.

The problem is specific to the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

Microsoft has advised that users deactivate their Active X Control until a security patch to fix the issue is released.