Microsoft said Monday that a "serious vulnerability" in its flagship Web server software used by computers running more than 6 million sites could allow hackers and online vandals to take control of the computers. The flaw occurs in a component of Microsoft's Internet Information Service (IIS) software that is installed on Web servers by default, said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer with eEye Digital Security, the company that found the flaw. "Pretty much any Web server (using Microsoft software) is basically left vulnerable to attack," he said. "Any hacker can basically get system-level access, which is the highest level of access on the computer," by using a program that exploits the problem. In a strongly worded advisory released on its Web site Monday afternoon, Microsoft told its customers to download a newly released fix and to secure their sites before the Internet underground publishes tools to take advantage of the flaw.
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