Microsoft to close IE holes next Tuesday

Next Patch Tuesday, December 8th, Microsoft plans to release an update that will close the critical security hole in Internet Explorer 6 and 7 made public two weeks ago. An exploit for the flaw is already in circulation. While the vulnerability does not affect Internet Explorer 8, another update will also close a hole in that version that has apparently not yet been made public. This second patch therefore marks the first security update for Windows 7. It is not yet clear whether the problem in Internet Explorer 8 is related to the recently publicized vulnerability in cross-site scripting protection.

On Tuesday, a total of six security bulletins and patches will be published to remedy 12 flaws in Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. Redmond considers a number of these flaws to be critical. Within the Office products, Project, Word and Works 8.5 are affected.

See also:

• New critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer, a report from The H.
• Microsoft confirms critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer, a report from The H.
• Security feature of Internet Explorer 8 unsafe, a report from The H.

(crve)