[ISN] Critical Windows patch on the way

[InfoSec News]

http://news.com.com/Critical+Windows+patch+on+the+way/2100-1002_3-5659348.html

By Ina Fried 
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 7, 2005

Microsoft will provide a variety of patches, some of them critical,
when it delivers its monthly batch of security updates next Tuesday.

In a notice posted to its Web site Thursday, Microsoft said to expect
critical fixes for Windows, Office, MSN Messenger and Exchange. In
all, the software maker said it is planning to release eight patches,
five of them for Windows.

 In addition, Microsoft will release a new version of its malicious
software removal tool, which is a sort of basic antiviral software
that removes specific known bugs from a machine. The company said it
will have two high-priority Windows upgrades that are not related to
security issues that will be made available via its automatic Windows
Update service.

The software maker had no regularly scheduled security patches last
month, after releasing a dozen updates in February. That month, the
company also fixed a security hole in its the digital rights
technology within Windows Media Player.

In an effort to help businesses manage the company's security patches,
Microsoft has gone to a once-a-month schedule for most fixes. More
recently, the company has begun publicly outlining what patches to
expect just prior to releasing the patches themselves.