Microsoft announced today that the company would be fixing 22 bugs across four different vulnerabilities in its Windows operating system and Microsoft Visio 2003. The patches are scheduled for this months Patch Tuesday which is due next week.
Microsoft plans on releasing one critical patch and three important patches. The critical patch is the company’s highest threat label, while the important patch is the runner-up to the highest threat label.
The critical patch fixes security vulnerabilities in Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista SP2, and Windows 7 that causes hackers to conduct remote code execution attacks. Microsoft Visio 2003 Service Pack 3 is also affected by this code execution attack and will see a fix.
Just recently, we learned that Microsoft plans on ending support for Windows Vista SP1, which means no more security updates. In fact, in just a few months (April 2012 to be exact), all consumer versions of Windows Vista will no longer be supported. Business support will continue until 2017. Consumers who continue to use Windows Vista will be much more vulnerable to security risks due to Microsoft no longer providing updates.
We also learned recently that Office XP would also no longer be supported starting July 12. Office XP was launched nearly 10 years ago and featured the removal of “clippit” and other office assistants.
Further reading: Microsoft, Patch Tuesday, Security Update Guide
