Microsoft issues latest round of security patches

Microsoft's June security update contains ten bulletins which address some 31 bulletins in Windows, Office and Internet Explorer.

Of the ten bulletins issued, six were rated as 'critical,' while three were given lower classifications of 'important' and a fourth was rated as 'moderate.'

Among the critical fixes were patches for Word, Excel and the Windows Active Directory component. Each of the critical fixes addressed flaws which could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on a targeted system.

Perhaps the most interesting of the patches, however, addresses several new and previously reported issues in Internet Explorer, including one high-profile flaw.

Juniper Networks senior manager of security research Steve Manzuik told vnunet.com that while security researchers would be taking special note of a fix for the so-called "Nills" security vulnerability first detected at the CanSecWest conference in March, all users should be looking to install the patch.

"This was more significant from a research point of view," Manzuik said of the update.

"But as usual, when it comes to Internet Explorer, these are patches that everyone wants to install."

Amongst the non-critical updates were fixes for privilege elevation holes in the Windows Kernel, Remote Procedure Call component and Internet Information Services software.

The lone 'moderate' patch addresses a flaw in the Windows Search component which could allow for information disclosure.

The June update addresses a much larger range of applications than the May patch release, which focused on security fixes for Microsoft Office.

Experts worry that the sheer volume and range of the patches could give headaches to IT staff that prefer to examine and test fixes prior to installation.

"Microsoft's fixes cover many of its technologies, across various versions of Windows and Office for Mac as well," said Dave Marcus, director of security research and communications for McAfee Avert Labs.

"Patching will be especially challenging for enterprises, which will need a solid risk management strategy to test and prioritize the fixes to fend off potential attacks."