A vulnerability was recently discovered in Microsoft’s MSN Chat, MSN Messenger and Microsoft Exchange Instant Messenger programs.

Microsoft stated in a security bulletin, that the flaw found in Chat and Instant Messenger programs could allow a hacker to break into computers. A hacker can exploit a programming flaw known as an unchecked buffer enabling the hacker to overwhelm the machine with more information than the machine can handle. This leads to the machine being open to almost any code or instruction sent by the hacker.

This may pose a problem for business with employees using MSN. Charles Kolodgy, an analyst at IDC, said that businesses can protect themselves by blocking HTML e-mails and setting up their networks to prevent workers from downloading unauthorised applications.