February patches bring ominous Outlook fixes and a rebirth of KB 2952664
The very early reports are in, and it looks like this month’s monstrous panoply of patches isn’t as destructive as last month’s – so far, at least. Aside from a few reported incompatibilities, the big news involves two Outlook security holes that kick in when you download email, or preview a message. There are no known exploits, but if you use Outlook, you need to understand the dangers – and should seriously consider patching sooner rather than later.
First, the blast. Yesterday, Microsoft released its usual Patch Tuesday security updates, which include 50 separately identified security holes (CVEs). Those 50 are in addition to the one Adobe Flash Player security hole, CVE 4074595, that was plugged on Feb. 6. Of the 50, 14 are rated Critical, 34 rated Important (which means they aren’t) and two are Moderate.