A security vulnerability in the Windows XP shell could compromise user systems, letting attackers take over machines and run malicious code. The vulnerability affects all XP versions--XP Home Edition, XP Professional Edition (including the 64-bit version), XP Media Center Edition, and XP Tablet PC Edition--and takes advantage of an XP feature that lets the system extract information from audio files in MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats.

"An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions used by the Windows Shell to extract custom attribute information from audio files," a Microsoft security bulletin that describes the vulnerability reads. "A security vulnerability results because it is possible for a malicious user to mount a buffer overrun attack and attempt to exploit this flaw."

Security Bulletin

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