More patches are being rolled out to all the Windows users out there. While it was nothing compared to October’s patch releases, there are still 6, which is a decent amount. More details on the newest patches below.

The release of the Windows patches on Tuesday coincides with the first time Microsoft will roll out Internet Explorer 7 automatically to users running Windows XP. The latest version of the browser will be pushed out through Automatic Updates to some — but not all — users immediately and to the rest of the Windows set by January 2007.

Microsoft rolled out several updates today as part of its monthly patch cycle, sometimes called “Patch Tuesday.” One of the patches fixes a critical flaw identified recently in the Microsoft XML Core Services components. The other five updates are designed to patch various holes in Windows, with at least one of those being rated “critical.”

Security experts had warned earlier this month that the vulnerability in the XML module could allow malicious hackers to take complete control over PCs. Researchers at Symantec discovered the XML flaw — which affects all Windows versions except Windows 2003 — in the XML/HTTP 4.0 ActiveX control that provides interoperability between applications based on XML and Microsoft’s JScript and VBScript languages.

Symantec Security Analyst Eric Chien noted in his blog that all versions of Internet Explorer, including the newly released Internet Explorer 7, are at risk of being exploited by this flaw.[more]

Speaking of patches, if you haven’t already done so, we would recommend you download Internet Explorer 7. While it does have a different interface compared to Internet Explorer 6, it is much more secure.

Tags: Computer Protection