Patches from Microsoft for IE, Word and Windows

Microsoft has released three software updates that patch critical security flaws in its products, including a patch for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that was first reported last week. The company also released patches for Microsoft Word and for a feature of the Windows operating system that is used by a number of applications. All three of the patches, which Microsoft calls "updates," are rated "critical," meaning that the flaws they fix could allow malicious code to be installed on a user's computer with very little user action. The updates affect current versions of Windows and Internet Explorer as well as certain older versions of Word, according to Stephen Toulouse, security program manager with Microsoft's security response center.

The Internet Explorer (IE) and Windows patches appear to be the most significant, as the flaws they address could both be used by an attacker to take control of a user's system via a maliciously encoded Web page, said Neel Mehta, team leader of X-Force research with security vendor Internet Security Systems (ISS). The IE bug is significant because security experts have already shown a way that it could be exploited by an attacker, he said.