Gladiator Research and Security

Microsoft has announced thirteen new patches today to fix twenty vulnerabilities, including four that could allow remote code execution. Two patches are rated Critical by Microsoft and affects Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Nine other patches are rated Important by Microsoft and affects Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office and Microsoft .NET Framework and Developer Tools. Gladiator recommends that users with impacted systems apply all Critical patches immediately. Detailed information regarding the patches can be found in Microsoft’s August Security Bulletin. Summary information is included below:

Lately, with the latest outbreak of malware mostly targeting user applications, I have been discussing the patching process with several IT administrators.  Frequently I will hear, “We don’t need to worry about patching, that is what WSUS (Windows System Update Services) is for.”  We agree that WSUS is a wonderful and easy process for updating your Microsoft components, but there are other applications on workstations and servers that need  critical security updates.  These updates can be performed manually, or could be included into third party patching software, like Lumension (formerly PatchLink).