Microsoft issues patches for 26 flaws

Microsoft has released the February edition of its Patch Tuesday security update. The latest release includes 13 bulletins addressing 26 vulnerabilities.

Five of the vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on a targeted system.

The five 'critical' fixes include patches for the Windows SMB client and the Windows Shell and TCP/IP components. Other 'critical' fixes include an ActiveX killbit update and a fix for the DirectShow component.

The severity of each bulletin varies by Windows version, but the update includes one or more 'critical' fixes for Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and Windows 7.

Also included in the February update are seven bulletins rated 'important'. These include fixes for flaws in Windows and Office which, if exploited, could allow elevation of privilege, denial-of-service and remote code execution attacks.

The 13th bulletin, rated as 'moderate', addresses a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Paint for Windows XP and Server 2003.