Microsoft probes Windows DoS flaw

Microsoft is looking into a report of a Windows flaw that could cause certain applications to crash, the software maker said Thursday.

The potential flaw affects Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Microsoft said in a statement. The bug could cause certain applications, including Internet Explorer, to crash after a user is tricked to click on an overly long Web link, security monitoring company Secunia said in an alert.

The flaw might also allow malicious code to run on a vulnerable system, Secunia said. However, that has not been proven, so the issue is so far deemed to be a denial of service, or DoS, problem only, Secunia said. The company deems the issue "less critical," one notch above its lowest possible rating. Microsoft probes Windows DoS flaw | CNET News.com