Microsoft offered a way around the flaw in Windows XP that has led in recent days, the invasion of thousands of PCs worldwide.

Since the release of the fault, made ​​by the engineer Tavis Ormandy of Google, cybercriminals have begun a wave of attacks exploiting the vulnerability . Microsoft itself has stated that more than 10,000 PCs have been compromised . According to the company, Brazil was one of the hardest hit countries.

"Earlier, we saw only activities of researchers that tested evidence-of-concept. But from June 15 the first explorations of the fault appeared real, "said Microsoft in a blog .

The failed component is the software of the Windows Help and Support Center (Windows Help and Support), which comes with Windows XP.

Ormandy was criticized for security professionals working for Microsoft has not given more time to fix the flaw. He warned the owner of Windows on June 5, and five days later, released details of the failure, allegedly after failing to convince the company to correct the problem within 60 days.

In a security advisory, Microsoft said it has studied the problem, and may release a fix out calendar to correct the fault.

"Microsoft is aware of active attacks, localized and limited exploiting that flaw. Based on the samples analyzed, the Windows Server 2003 systems are not currently at risk of such attacks. Microsoft is actively monitoring this situation to keep customers informed and to provide guidance when necessary, "says the notice.

However, until now Microsoft has advised anyone who has a PC at risk to use a tool to fix a single click to turn off the protocols of the Help Center.

Another option is to manually turn off the HCP by clicking the Start menu, Run command. Type Regedit and click OK. After expanding the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder, select the HCP key. Then, right-click on the HCP key right and choose Delete.