Bochum, Germany  - Before downloading an advance version of Internet Explorer 8, computer users should make sure the offer really comes from Microsoft and not from a hacker.

A spam e-mail offering a beta version of the web browser has been spotted regularly on the internet recently. But the e-mail contains a Trojan horse, a program that allows harmful software onto a computer, according to G Data, a German provider of security software.

In this case, the software infects a computer and turns it into a zombie-PC, which can then be accessed from a distance.

The real English-language beta version of Internet Explorer 8 is available from Microsoft's download centre: http://www.microsoft.com/beta/downloads/About.aspx. (dpa)