A SERIOUS security hole has been found in Internet Explorer, the most popular web browser program used by millions of people.

The flaw is in one of the means of ensuring a secure connection to a web server, commonly used for online shopping.

The idea is that the web server presents a digital certificate to demonstrate it is the server it claims to be, so the user can be sure their credit card details will be handled securely.

But last week it was revealed that Internet Explorer fails to check that a digital certificate is valid, which means someone could intercept credit card numbers without the knowledge of online shoppers.

However, it's unlikely that any of the big-name online shops could be affected by unscrupulous people taking advantage of the security hole.

As usual, the best advice is to shop at places you know, and never disclose credit card details if you are in any doubt.

It's also worth keeping an eye out for any patches or updates that might be released shortly to fix the problem.