What’s the priority in this month’s Windows Update?
With 13 patches for a total of 34 problems, it’s a whopper of a Windows Update this month. However, security experts are warning that some fixes should take priority over others.
Microsoft itself has issued a chart giving its suggested priority for deploying the updates. That’s particularly important for corporate networks where the need to restart after updates means administrators need to figure out the most efficient way of applying the patches. The priority list is based on the potential damage a flaw could cause, the likelihood of it being exploited, and the popularity of the affected applications or systems.
According to the Microsoft list, the six highest priority updates are:
- MS09-51 (Windows Media Runtime, affecting all versions of Windows up to Vista)
- MS09-50 (Server Message Block, affecting Vista and Server 08)
- MS09-54 (A series of patches for Internet Explorer 6 through 8, including the version bundled with Windows 7)
- MS09-61 (.NET, affecting all versions of Windows including Windows 7)
- MS09-62 (GDI, the graphics system at the heart of Windows, affecting multiple versions of the operating system and Microsoft applications)
- MS09052 (Windows Media Player 6.4, the version packaged with Windows XP)
An independent security expert, Jason Miller of Shavlik, tells PC World that the Internet Explorer and GDI patches are the most important to fix immediately. That’s because they are the most likely to be exploited in a way that simply requires the user to visit a Web site.
Microsoft seems to be downplaying the scale of the update somewhat, noting that although it is the most patches ever issued at one time, updates in the 10-12 patch range aren’t unusual, calling this month “business at usual”. It does make the fair point that its policy is to release fixes as and when they are ready rather than stretch them out to avoid bumper months.
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