A virus wreaks havoc on Windows

A group of hackers used a security flaw in the operating system Windows from Microsoft to infect users' computers with viruses Duke, considered by some experts as the next big cyber cyber threat. "We are working diligently to address this issue and will release a security update for customers," Microsoft said Tuesday in a brief statement.

News of the Duke virus emerged last October when the maker of software security Symantec Corp. said it had found a mysterious virus that contained a code similar to Stuxnet , a software malicious is believed to have caused havoc in the Iran's nuclear program.

Private investigators and governments around the world race to unlock the secret of Duke, with the preliminary analysis indicating that it was developed bycomputer experts to help lay the groundwork for attacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants, refineries and pipelines.

Details on how Duke has infected computers first emerged on Tuesday when Microsoft revealed its relationship to infection. In addition, Symantec researchers said they believe the hackers sent the virus to victims through e-mails with Microsoft Word documents attached that were infected.

If the recipient opens the Word document and the virus infects your PC, the attacker could take control of your computer and get to the network of an organization to spread and search data as the researcher Kevin Haley. It also ensures that part of the source code used in Duke also was used in Stuxnet, a cyber weapon is believed to have paralyzed the centrifuges that Iran uses to enrich uranium.

This suggests that the attackers are behind Stuxnet can either be given the code to the developers of Duke, that had been stolen or that they are in fact the same people who built Duke, Haley said. "We believe this is the last option," he said.