Since this story was originally reported, it has been updated to correct the date on which Microsoft issued its Advance Notification bulletin.With online attackers taking advantage of holes in its Office software, Microsoft plans to release seven software patches next week.Four of the updates will fix bugs in Windows, while another three will address flaws in Microsoft Office, Microsoft said Thursday in a bulletin on its website. Both sets of patches will address critical flaws, which attackers could exploit to run unauthorized code on a PC without any user action. The patches will be released on July 11 as part of Microsoft’s regularly scheduled monthly security updates. Microsoft’s advance note on the updates can be found online. The new software will likely fix a number of publicly reported vulnerabilities in Office, some of which concern Excel, said Gunter Ollmann, director of Internet Security Systems’ X-Force threat analysis service.Last month, Microsoft confirmed that it was investigating three issues that relate to Office, following reports that hackers had launched a targeted attack, against an unnamed government contractor, that took advantage of a bug in its Excel spreadsheet software. Two of the bugs could be used to compromise a PC, but they would first require user action like opening a malicious document and clicking on hyperlinks. The third appears to be less critical, but it could be used to run an unauthorized ActiveX control, Microsoft said.On Thursday, another bug was added to the mix, with security vendor Secunia warning of a flaw affecting Asian language versions of Excel. As with the other bugs, victims would need to be tricked into doing a little work before compromising their systems, but if this were to happen, attackers could run their malicious software on the PC, Secunia said.More details on this latest flaw can be found online.The seven patches may keep system administrators busy next week, but not as busy as they were in June. Last month, Microsoft released 12 security updates.-Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content events promotion Australia's CIO50 Team of the Year Awards finalists revealed Along with the unveiling of the annual CIO50 List and the team category winners, the 2023 CIO50 Awards will also recognise the inaugural Next CIO winner and a new Hall of Fame recipient. By Cathy O'Sullivan May 31, 2023 3 mins IDG Events brandpost API security: key to interoperability or key to an organization? Understanding the risks of using APIs and how to prepare to address those risks. By Keith Zelinski, Managing Director, Technology Consulting May 31, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Designing the campus of the future starts with high-quality 10 Gbps connectivity By Huawei May 31, 2023 4 mins Network Architect Networking Devices Networking brandpost How an Indian real-estate juggernaut keeps growing by harnessing the power of zero A South Indian real-estate titan is known for the infinite variety and impressive scale of its projects, but one of its most towering achievements amounts to nothing literally. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor May 31, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe