Why is Microsoft rolling out their biggest ever security update?

Microsoft's largest security update will be available from 13/10/09

On 13 October, Microsoft will issue its biggest ever security update hopefully fixing a number of bugs, tackling assorted vulnerabilities and fixing critical security flaws, but what exactly will it do and why has it taken this long?

Each time Microsoft unveil a new operating system, it more often than not comes loaded with a host of bugs and problems. Even their much tooted Internet Explorer 8 has been frustrating this writer to such a degree, that he has installed Safari on his personal computer in its place.

With that in mind, it is no surprise to learn that this security update comes weeks before Microsoft's latest OS is released on 22 October. It is most likely hoped that it will fix problems currently infuriating users as well as tackling security issues.

According to Microsoft, the security update will "include 13 bulletins that between them tackle 34 vulnerabilities." Of these 13 bulletins, eight of them are rated as critical and will deal with the system's most serious security vulnerabilities.

The company has also said that the patch will close loopholes in many different programs including different editions of Windows, Internet Explorer and some elements of Office. One such problem is a coding error that hampers use of Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7. Jerry Bryant, a Microsoft security expert, said another two of the fixes were for problems flagged up in earlier advisories.

Like other Window's updates, the security patch will download automatically, but it will also be posted on Microsoft's website.

Currently, Windows is one of the most popular targets for cyber criminals and as such is often besieged with attacks from malware such as worms and Trojan horses. One of the problems hoped to be remedied, is for the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) which is constantly exploited by hi-tech criminals.

Prior to this security update, Microsoft's biggest every update was released in June 2009. That package of 10 fixes tackled 31 vulnerabilities.

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: