Slates 11 updates for Windows, IE, Active Directory, Office and Host Integration Server

(Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. today said it will issue 11 security updates next week -- the same number it shipped in August when it pushed out the most patches in 18 months -- to fix bugs in Windows, Active Directory, Internet Explorer (IE), Office and Host Integration Server.

Four of the 11 updates will be labeled "critical," Microsoft's highest threat ranking, with six pegged "important," the next-lowest rating, and one tagged as "moderate."

As is Microsoft's practice, it released only the most general information about the upcoming security patches in the advance notification it posted Thursday. Among the details that the company provided are the affected software, the severity of the security problem and the components involved.

Seven of the 11 updates will address vulnerabilities that Microsoft acknowledged can be used to execute remote code, a description that generally means hackers could exploit those vulnerabilities to inject their own malicious code into vulnerable PCs, often by convincing users to open a file attachment or tricking them into visiting a rogue Web site. All four of the critical updates were marked with Microsoft's "Remote Code Execution" label, as were three of the important bulletins.

Bugs in Active Directory, IE, Excel and Microsoft Host Integration Server were all tagged critical.


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