14 DAY TRIAL // As part of its Patch Tuesday cycle, Microsoft has released updates not only for the brand new Windows 8 operating system, but also for Internet Explorer 9 and Excel.
The company fixed a total of four security glitches in Windows 8, but security experts warn that users should first install the Internet Explorer 9 patch in case they rely on this browser version.
“Security issues have been identified that could allow an attacker to compromise a system that is running Microsoft Internet Explorer and gain control over it. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft,” Microsoft writes in the bulletin description.
As for the Windows 8 patches, the Redmond-based technology company used the same generic description to explain the bug.
“A security issue has been identified that could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it,” Microsoft said.
Six of the patches were marked as “critical,” while the rest of them were flagged as “important” or “moderate.”
As always, all updates can be installed via the built-in Windows Update, so minimum user input is required.
This is the first batch of updates aimed at Windows 8 and Windows RT platforms since their debut on October 26, so Microsoft seems very keen on patching security flaws and bugs as fast as possible.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is no longer planning to debut any other service pack, but instead it tries to rely on more frequent updates that could keep its software on the safe side.
The same strategy is apparently planned for Windows 7 systems as well, even though users of this particular operating system version were actually expecting a second service pack.
Another wave of updates is expected at about the same time next month, but quick fixes aimed to patch critical bugs could always be released in the meantime.