Microsoft plans half dozen updates for December

Microsoft is planning to release six patches next week in its monthly security update.

The company said that the December 'Patch Tuesday' release would include fixes for a total of 12 different vulnerabilities in Windows, Office and Internet Explorer.

Of the six patches, Microsoft has rated three as 'critical,' the company's highest alert level, while the other three have been rated as 'important.' Five of the six patches address vulnerabilities which could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on a targeted system.

Among the three critical updates is a fix for the much-publicized Internet Explorer zero-day flaw. Microsoft acknowledged that the flaw was its top priority and would be addressed in the upcoming fix.

Other vulnerabilities to be addressed include flaws in Microsoft Word, Project and Works 8.5 as well as vulnerabilities in Windows 2000, XP, Vista and the recently-launched Windows 7. Aside from the Internet Explorer vulnerability, none of the patches concern Windows 7, while Vista only has one 'important' patch aside from the IE fix.

Notice for the December release comes just days after Microsoft tied up loose ends with its November security release. The company concluded an investigation into reports of system crashes and found that the November release was not responsible for user errors.