Hackers have published code that allows an attacker to disable the Microsoft Windows XP firewall, but only on certain XP machines.
An attacker can send malicious packets to take control of a fully patched Windows XP PC - provided it is running Windows’ Internet Connection Service (ICS); a service that allows users to share their Internet connection with other users on a home network.
As Microsoft begin to phase out XP and begin to promote Vista is raises the question of how long XP will be supported. Personally I will not be purchasing Vista, but will be geting a Macbook Pro instead. Even if I bought Vista, I don’t think my computer could handle all of the effects, and it’s pretty powerful.