Microsoft plans to issue a dozen security bulletins on August 8 to cover a wide range of security vulnerabilities affecting Windows and Office users.
The Redmond, Wash., software maker said that 10 of the 12 bulletins will contain patches for bugs in its flagship Windows operating system. Some of those will be rated “critical,” Microsofts highest severity rating.
For the third successive month, the company will also issue patches for critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office, the software package that includes Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Office applications have been a regular target for zero-day attacks and there are several known Excel and PowerPoint vulnerabilities that have yet to be patched.
The company has already confirmed that the PowerPoint vulnerability has been used in targeted attacks that is believed to be linked to corporate espionage in the Far East.
In the July patch batch, Microsoft released a mega update for the Excel spreadsheet program and warned that the flaw could let malicious hackers take “complete control of the vulnerable client workstation.”
Over the last five months, the company has patched a whopping 19 flaws in the Microsoft Office software suite.
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