Microsoft has been working quickly to fix a security hole that was revealed a few days ago in Internet Explorer 9 and earlier versions of the web browser. On Wednesday, the company issued a Fix it download that plugged a hole in those browser that would have allowed malware to be downloaded on a PC via a Flash exploit.
Today, Microsoft released not one but two different automatic IE patches. The first, as described on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog, not only has the fix that was issued on Wednesday for IE 9 and older versions but also contains fixes for "four privately disclosed vulnerabilities that are currently not being exploited." Microsoft recommends consumers update their browsers ASAP.
The second IE related update is just for people who are using Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10. You may remember that a few weeks ago, it was discovered that the RTM version of Windows 8 and IE 10 did not contain the latest updates for Flash Player, which fixed some security related issues. Today, Microsoft announced that an update has been released that updates Flash to the current version for Windows 8 and IE 10.
In its blog post, Microsoft said that it will "coordinate on disclosure and release timing" with Flash publisher Adobe for IE 10 updates from now on. It also says that if there are any issues that are discovered in Flash for IE 10 beyond the planned update schedules, it will also work with Adobe to get the updates to Windows 8 users, adding that, "in some cases we will issue updates outside of our regular monthly security bulletin release."
Source: Microsoft Security Response Center blog | Image via Microsoft