With just a few exceptions all patches are endpoint focused vulnerabilities.  Endpoint security is so critical today--there’s no way to be safe with just patching and AV.  Please check out our sponsor, Lumesion, whose end point security suite offers 10 different endpoint security technologies in a single agent and on one pane of glass.

Two critical bulletins for Internet Explorer have been released this May by Microsoft. Here is an overview: MS13-037 is a cumulative update for Internet Explorer; MS13-038 is also for Internet Explorer, exploit details are public and it’s already being used in attacks.

The other 8 bulletins are rated "important". Those using Server 2012 should give attention to bulletin MS13-039

MS13-040, the authentication bypass vulnerability has been publicly disclosed. Those with the affected version of .net--workstations and servers that run Windows WCF services are the most vulnerable.

Writers of malicious code are becoming more sophisticated with backing of increasing resources. Exploits may be used together. A system that is compromised might then be hit with a privilege elevation such as in MS13-046. Microsoft's EMET 4.0 (Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit) was due to be released today but it has been delayed a couple of weeks. Tool kits like this should help to at least slow the bad guys down.

On MS13-041, Microsoft explains a victim would have to accept an incoming Lync chat invitation and then agree to view a shared program or shared content presented by the attacker. This puts systems with affected editions Lync or Communicator installed at risk.

MS13-042 reveals many vulnerabilities in Publisher. MS13-043 shows multiple vulnerabilities in Office Word and MS13-044 reports a vulnerability in Office Visio.

Windows Essentials is a free download that contains Writer. If you have Essentials 2011 has no patch but Essentials 2012 does (MS13-045) Upgrading to 2012 is the way to go. It seems this software would be installed mostly on workstations.

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