MS Patch Tuesday to include trio of 'critical' fixes

You've been warned

By Dan Goodin, 5th July 2007

Next week's Patch Tuesday will see Microsoft issue three updates that fix "critical" security vulnerabilities in Windows, Office and the .Net framework. The critical designation is Microsoft's most severe rating and usually applies to flaws that can allow a computer to be hijacked with little or no interaction on the part of the user.

All the critical vulnerabilities could lead to the remote execution of code, according to an advanced bulletin posted Thursday on Microsoft's website. The critical patches apply to Excel, Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and the .Net framework, which is incorporated into most versions of Windows.

Two additional patches on tap for next week will fix "important" vulnerabilities in Office, Publisher and Windows XP Professional. A sixth patch will plug a "moderate" hole in Windows Vista.

Last month, Microsoft issued six patches, four of them for critical flaws.

The software maker has long been in the habit of releasing security updates on the second Tuesday of each month and issuing an advanced outline of the patches on the Thursday before. Starting last month, Microsoft began offering additional details so that IT administrations can better prepare for the fixes. ®

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Posted Monday 9th July 2007 15:05 GMT

fon

wot??? me no patch!!!! :) :)

It may surprise some people here, that I use an OS that is STILL totally unpatched, gets no problems, still works great with all the media formats out there..

Windows98SE is still better for general internet & documents, with win2000 still good.. My hardware firewall stops most, AVG the rest...

It may be because I *never* upgaded IE from the original, never use outlook, never bothered with any SP, and only use OPERA & FF.. oh and free media players from free-codecs.com...

The sad but true story is, you either pay someone to do the work on making a good OS (MS or Apple) or you get it almost free, and spend alot of your time and expertise to get Linux, etc, going as good...

The plus part about Linux is that it will usually find the right drivers for almost *all* your equipment at first install!! :) so it is just the other stuff like mediaplayers that are the problem.. yes, special MS formats giving the problems...

can anyone say that XP or vista will do this, without even asking for an install disc??? ie get Hires video working, screen working, sound working... and then also load the bluetooth software 'just like that'??

The next thing about linux is, as a linux website said.. "the problem is us" .. there are so many flavours and parts of linux, each with its own idisyncracies, that the normal person is confused, and is frightened off... It will take a much better 'unity' to improve it hold on the market...

Posted Sunday 8th July 2007 20:45 GMT

Anonymous Coward

Small correction... re: Patches are a fact of life

I'd just like to comment on this... "About four months ago I installed Ubuntu 6.06 and it downloaded about 600MB of patches after installing." ...I actually installed Ubuntu 6.06 over XP this very day for a computer illiterate friend because she's sick of viruses and malware and I've spent enough time cleaning it up already. After installation there were 142 updates totalling 127 MB. Bare in mind ALL installed software is automatically updated when new versions are available (with new features as well as fixes), it's not just OS security patches.

Posted Saturday 7th July 2007 05:12 GMT

James Penketh

eltiT

". If you can use only Linux on your desktop and not rip out your hair on a near daily basis (and still be in contact with the outside world).. that's just lovely and I'd love to meet you to learn the secrets. I tried it for 3 years and finally went back to windows."

I use only Linux on my desktop, I'm still in contact with the outside world (well, the parts of the outside world that are worth talking to).

I don't tear my hair out on a daily basis. It's actually easier and quicker for me.

Now, back on topic (as it were), the number of patches is nothing.

The most important think about a software patch is that the ones that fix the most dangerous problems are the patches send out the fastest.

Would you rather have that a patch to fix a potential exploit that allows a malicious cracker to take over your PC be kept waiting until a patch that solved a slightly mis-coloured font in a rarely used app. was released?

Thought not.