Microsoft issues three critical alerts

Microsoft has released three new patches, all for problems which it rates as 'critical' - the highest level of security alert.

The first fixes two serious problems in Internet Explorer 5 and above. Exploiting both flaws, a hacker could build malware onto a web page that would be automatically run on a computer using the unpatched browser.

Once installed the hacker would have full control of the PC.

The second addresses an unchecked buffer in Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), which are part of Window's database handling capabilities. This flaw can be exploited either by a web page containing malware or code received via email.

Number three is a re-issue of a critical DirectX patch for versions 5.2 and above. It covers a problem with the DirectShow section of the software.

DirectShow handles sound and video, and the flaw can be exploited by either sending a specially prepared Midi file as an email attachment, or by embedding it in a web page.

The Internet Explorer patch is available here.
The MDAC patch is available here.
The DirectX patch is available here.