Microsoft has rolled out its monthly security updates for December, patching critical flaws in Internet Explorer, Windows Media Format and the Visual Studio 2005 development software.The seven security patches address 11 bugs, including two in the Windows Media Player software. However, no fixes were provided for two Microsoft Word flaws that have been used in a small number of attacks over the past week.Microsoft had said it would release only six patches on Tuesday, but the company added the Windows Media Format update at the last minute, after reports of attacks based on this vulnerability began surfacing. The Windows Media Format is used by Microsoft’s Windows Media Player software.In late November, security vendors warned that a buffer overflow error could occur when the Windows Media Player processed “.asx” (Advanced Stream Redirector) media files, meaning that users would first need to be tricked into opening a malicious media file for the attack to work. In its update Tuesday, Microsoft also patched a similar bug in the way the media player processes “.asf” (Advanced Systems Format) files.The Internet Explorer patch fixes four bugs. It is also rated critical, and is noteworthy because some of these bugs will probably begin to be exploited by hackers by week’s end, said Gunter Ollmann, director of IBM’s Internet Security System’s X-Force threat analysis service. Enterprise administrators should also pay close attention to a Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) patch issued Tuesday, Ollmann said.Microsoft has rated this patch as “important,” rather than critical, because SNMP is normally blocked at the firewall and turned off by default on Windows systems. However, it is widely deployed as part of the network monitoring infrastructure in the enterprise, and is often used on critical servers, Ollmann said. Ollmann believes this SNMP patch is the most important update for enterprise customers. “Since the service is widely deployed in the enterprise and since it’s commonly deployed on servers, we think this would be an important attack vector for enterprises,” he said.The remaining updates include a “critical” fix for Visual Studio 2005, and “important” updates for Windows and Outlook Express, Microsoft said.Microsoft defines “critical” flaws as bugs that could allow the propagation of an Internet worm without any action on the part of the victim. The company’s next set of security updates is due Jan. 9.-Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)Related Links: Hackers Attack Via 2nd Microsoft Word Flaw Microsoft Warns of New Word Exploit Security Hole Discovered in Microsoft Windows Media PlayerCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content BrandPost The future of trust—no more playing catch up Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Eric Chien, Director of Security Response, Symantec Enterprise Division, Broadcom Mar 31, 2023 5 mins Security BrandPost TCS gives Blackhawk Network an edge with Microsoft Cloud In this case study, Blackhawk Network’s Cara Renfroe joins Tata Consultancy Services’ Rakesh Kumar and Microsoft’s Nilendu Pattanaik to explain how TCS transformed the gift card company’s customer engagement and global operati By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Cloud Computing IT Leadership BrandPost How TCS pioneered the ‘borderless workspace’ with Microsoft 365 Microsoft’s modern workplace solution proved a perfect fit for improving productivity and collaboration, while maintaining security of systems and data. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 1 min Financial Services Industry Microsoft Cloud Computing BrandPost Supply chain decarbonization: The missing link to net zero By improving the quality of global supply chain data, enterprises can better measure their true carbon footprint and make progress toward a net-zero business ecosystem. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 31, 2023 2 mins Retail Industry Supply Chain Green IT 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