[Update: Microsoft plans to release a patch for the flaw Wednesday morning. Details at the bottom of post.]

Microsoft is offering an elaborate set of workarounds to help Internet Explorer users avoid attacks on an unpatched flaw that surfaced last week. Security researchers and bloggers are offering a different solution: Stop using IE altogether, at least temporarily.

"Switch to another browser, preferably Firefox. This is by far the best option," writes Richard Wray of the Guardian in a post today.

For all of the efforts Microsoft has made to tighten the security of its software, the situation demonstrates the continued potential for vulnerabilities to affect market share. Internet Explorer's problems with spyware helped Firefox gain traction several years ago.

The latest flaw lets hackers attack computers that visit compromised Web sites. It's especially concerning because it's a "zero-day" vulnerability, already being exploited before a fix is available. Microsoft says it's investigating the situation and will take "appropriate action," which could include issuing a patch out of its normal monthly cycle.

"I would advise Windows users to consider browsing the Web with anything other than Internet Explorer, at least until Microsoft issues a patch to fix this vulnerability," wrote Washington Post security blogger Brian Krebs in a post after the flaw came to light last week. "It is not my intention to over-hype the situation, but as we have seen time and again, attackers are usually very quick to take advantage of flaws in IE because the program is the default browser for close to 80 percent of the planet."

Microsoft, meanwhile, seems to be grappling with precisely how to characterize the severity of the situation.

In a post Saturday on the Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog, Ziv Mador and Tareq Saade initially wrote that they saw "a huge increase in the number of reports today compared to yesterday." That language has since been changed to say that they saw "an increase of over 50% in the number of reports today compared to yesterday."

Watch this Microsoft site for ongoing details and updates on the flaw.

Update, 2 p.m.: Microsoft said this afternoon that it will issue a special security patch for the Internet Explorer vulnerability Wednesday morning via Automatic Updates and Microsoft Update. Details on this Microsoft page.