Next week's scheduled Patch Tuesday will include security fixes for multiple critical Windows vulnerabilities.
In total, Microsoft
plans to issue five bulletins, four affecting the Windows operating system. The highest maximum severity rating for the Windows bugs is "critical."
The fifth bulletin will apply to the Microsoft Content Management Server. This will also be rated critical.
However, the absence of fixes for a known -- and already attacked --
code execution hole in Microsoft Word is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Microsoft
has known about that bug since February 14 and has issued an advisory with pre-patch workaround but, since there are no Office patch on tap, this will remain outstanding for at least another month.
FrSIRT's
compilation of unpatched Microsoft vulnerabilities includes two code-execution vulnerabilities, one each in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint.
The PowerPoint bug was reported to Microsoft nine months ago (July, 2006).