Microsoft is not taking any chances with a flaw in Apple's Safari browser that could effect Windows XP and Vista users. InfoWorld reports that the company issued a security advisory concerning the blended threat Friday afternoon.

The advisory addresses an attack known as "carpet bombing," in which attackers litter a user's desktop with executable files. The problem stems from a combo of the Safari default download location and how the Windows desktop deals with executables, which allows downloads without requiring permission. However, for this bug to work, the user would had to have installed Apple's Safari for Windows via the Apple Software Update application.

Security researcher Nitesh Dhanjani brought the vulnerability to Apple's attention two weeks ago. But in typical Apple fashion, the company said it did not consider the problem a security issue and is in no rush to fix it, reports The Washington Post. Although it did agree Dhanjani's suggestion of an "Ask me before downloading anything" option was a good one.

ZDNet blogger Ryan Naraine says one way users can mitigate risk is to change the download location in Safari. However, he recommends that users just uninstall Safari and use a different browser on Windows.

Apple is having a heck of a time keeping its products secure lately. In April, a hacker broke into Safari in less that two minutes, triggering Apple to release a security update. And just last week, it issued 70 "improvements" to Leopard. It's not surprising, then, that StopBadware.org is encouraging Apple to reconsider its stance on this latest problem.