Microsoft Sets New Patch Record, Fixes 26 Flaws

You gotta love this one courtesy of Information Week

The flaws, more than half of which received a "critical" rating, run the gamut from Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer to Word and Excel and PowerPoint.

By Gregg Keizer,                                   

Microsoft on Tuesday released 10 security updates, one less than anticipated, that patched a record 26 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office, and .Net. More than half of the flaws were pegged "critical" by the Redmond, Wash. developer.

Tuesday's tally was impressive by any count: 6 of the 10 updates were judged critical, with the remaining split among Microsoft's other rankings: "important" (1), "moderate" (2), and "low" (3). Of the 26 disclosed vulnerabilities, 15 were labeled critical, 6 important, 2 moderate, and 3 low. Both the total vulnerabilities and the number of critical vulnerabilities set new records for Microsoft in its monthly patch process.

"This is very rich lot," said Minoo Hamilton, a senior security researcher with patch management vendor nCircle. "There's everything in here from Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer to Word and Excel and PowerPoint."