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.
Busy Day in Redmond
In addition to patching the XML module, the company also rolled out several other updates, including a new version of the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
The release of the patches today also 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.
Everybody will have the option of choosing whether they want to update to Internet Explorer 7.
Pushing the browser
Natalie Lambert, an analyst at Forrester Research, is recommending that users accept the latest version of IE and download it as soon as they have the opportunity.
"It is a no brainer," said Lambert, who pointed to the browser's revamped security and the new tabbed interface as just two of the reasons to download the "much improved" application.
However, Lambert warned against enterprise users downloading IE7 before making sure all business applications will function with the new browser.
IE7 is the first major update to Microsoft's ubiquitous Web browser in five years, and almost everybody says it represents a vast improvement over Internet Explorer 6.
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