If you use a computer at work or at home, then you're no doubt familiar with the web browser Internet Explorer. It's the way most people find their way around the internet. But there's a problem. Microsoft, which owns and runs Internet Explorer, says there's been a serious flaw in security, allowing hackers to get access to your PC.

Microsoft says at least two million computers around the world have already been affected. Jeremy Howard is an IT consultant. The problem is that Internet Explorer, which at least eight out of ten people use to access websites, has a critical vulnerability, which lets hackers get into your computer and do anything they like with it, such as stealing your internet banking passwords or sending email on your behalf or even installing a virus.

As you say, eight out of ten people use Internet Explorer. Most people have it on their computer. They're going to be very alarmed hearing this and thinking about the online banking and online buying they've been doing on their PC. This affects everything that you use your computer for on the internet and access to all of your documents.

It is a very alarming problem. So unfortunately, there is no fix for Internet Explorer. What people need to do is stop using Internet Explorer as soon as possible and switch to another web browser such as Firefox, which is available for free. So how do you know if your computer has already been hacked into and your details taken?

The really alarming thing about this is that there is no way to find out if you've already been hacked into. The hackers that perpetrate these crimes are quite clever and they actually cover their tracks very carefully so you don't know. The reason they do this is that they can keep using your computer sometimes for years without your knowledge to do whatever they want.

If you think you may have been hacked, the only way to actually remove the infection often is to format your hard drive entirely and start again. If this problem has been around for some time, why hasn't Microsoft fixed it? Microsoft have had some known bugs in Internet Explorer and Windows out there for up to seven years without properly fixing them.

I think the problem is that Internet Explorer and Windows are such big, complex pieces of code worked on by so many different people that they just don't seem to be able to keep up. That's why a lot of people are switching to browsers like Firefox, which are developed under a system called Open Source, where thousands of people all over the Internet are contributing every day to fixing the bugs.

Does this really mark the end of Internet Explorer? And if that's the case, that is going to have a huge effect on Microsoft. People will keep using Internet Explorer just because of the convenience factor. They turn their computer on when they first buy it, Internet Explorer is sitting right there and they start using it.

They might not know anything about these kind of security problems that have been plaguing Microsoft and computer users for years. With over 80% of people still using Internet Explorer, despite years of bugs and security problems, I think it's fair to say that it's not going away, but it probably should be.

Jeremy Howard, thank you. Okay, thank you. the state of California. The