Next Patch Tuesday, Microsoft plans to release seven security updates for: Windows, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Word, and SharePoint – four of the seven will be rated critical, Microsoft's highest ranking, while the remainder will be labelled important, the next-lower rating. Microsoft posts updates on the second Tuesday of each month between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. EDT. Assuming Microsoft releases all seven bulletins, users will have dealt with 61 updates so far this year, four fewer than same period in 2006.
Windows 2000, Windows XP Home SP2 and Windows Server 2003 will account for three of the seven updates, and one of the four critical fixes. The three remaining critical updates will address one or more vulnerabilities in Outlook Express/Windows Mail, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word. Every version of IE will need a patch. Outlook Express and Word 2000 have bugs that are critical but other versions of the two applications were designated as important. Windows will also get two out of the three important updates on Tuesday, with SharePoint Services 3.0 receiving the third. The SharePoint fix was originally scheduled to have been released last month, but at the last minute Microsoft yanked that one without an explanation.
News source: InfoWorld
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