Relief for Windows XP users as Microsoft patches IE flaw

Microsoft has done a u-turn on its support for Windows XP - at least for the recently discovered flaw in its Internet Explorer browser.

The vulnerability, which affected Internet Explorer versions six through 11, could have allowed hackers to remotely control computers by fooling users into clicking on a link to a malicious website.

Although the company officially ended support for Windows XP in April, more than a decade after the software was first released, Microsoft issued an update yesterday to patch the IE flaw that included XP users.

The patch was pushed out through its automatic update service last night to Windows users.

"Even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, we've decided to provide an update for all versions of Windows XP," Microsoft's general manager for trustworthy computing Adrienne Hall said in a post. "We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP. The reality is there have been a very small number of attacks based on this particular vulnerability and concerns were, frankly, overblown. Unfortunately this is a sign of the times and this is not to say we don't take these reports seriously."

The tech firm said it was still encouraging users to move from Windows XP to a newer operating system.

Although Microsoft has issued the update for Windows XP this time, there is no guarantee that it will do so should a similar situation arise in the future.