Microsoft planning light Patch Tuesday update

Microsoft is planning a fairly light Patch Tuesday update for March, but has said that the critical and important fixes should be deployed as quickly as possible.

Just three patches are being released next week, two for Windows, one rated critical and one important, and one for Office rated important.

All three address problems that could let hackers remotely take over a PC or server, and affect Windows versions right up to Windows 7 SP1.

However, the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification omits to mention a recently discovered zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer.

"The short bulletin does not mean a respite for businesses. This month we are going to see three patches address vulnerabilities that leave users open to remote code execution. Two address flaws in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, and one for Office," said Alan Bentley, senior vice president at security firm Lumension.

"But, despite the clean up, there is nothing to suggest that we are going to see a patch to address the Internet Explorer vulnerability."

Bentley added that Microsoft's software is not alone in needing attention, and that companies should apply the latest fixes for Apple and Android attacks.

"Although it might be a quieter month for Microsoft, Apple has released a patch to address over 50 flaws with iTunes," he said.

"These vulnerabilities impact Apple's own products as well as Windows products, and mobile security is also coming into play. The DroidDream malware has infected an estimated 200,000 smartphones, and over 50 applications have been withdrawn as a result."

Bentley warned that the Android threats could have a big impact on enterprise security teams in terms of their areas of focus in the future.