The latest threat, "Download.Ject," infiltrates computers after users surfing with Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" web browser visit websites infected with virus.

This newest security patch covers Windows XP, 2000, and Windows Server 2003.

Several factors make this latest development more disturbing than past discoveries of security problems with Internet Explorer, currently most dominant web browser on market.

First, it demonstrates very clearly that criminals discovered they can use power of viruses to very profitably steal important bank, personal, and credit data from people on a large scale.

Second, it took Microsoft what many would consider a very long time to come up with a patch for this problem.

Before a fix appeared, Microsoft told everyone who uses Internet Explorer to stick their finger in dyke by putting their web browser security settings on high, rendering it impossible to view or use features on many websites and web-based services.

Third, expect this to happen again as new holes open in future when Microsoft makes Windows more complicated, adds layers of code, and generally makes operating system more complex.

This may sound like business as usual, however, I think this story actually points to a much deeper problem, one for which I'm not sure a simple solution exists.