Microsoft Releases Patches for 64 Flaws To Fend Off Hackers

Some of these Windows security vulnerabilities can allow hackers to take control of your computer remotely.

Microsoft has released its March security patch for Windows vulnerabilities.

(Photo: Reuters)

Microsoft on Wednesday, 13 March, released security updates and patches for almost 64 CVE-listed (common vulnerabilities and exposure) security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating system and other various products. Seventeen of these vulnerabilities have been rated critical, 45 important, one moderate and another one low in severity.

The update has been released to address critical flaws in Windows, Internet Explorer, Edge, MS Office and more.

Four of the vulnerabilities which were rated important were patched by the tech giant this month and of which none were exploited by any third parties (read hackers).

Two of the flaws which are under active attack (by hackers) have been rated important and are in Win32k components. Hackers are constantly exploiting the same. Google also warned users about this security vulnerability last week.

Google had released an update for Google Chrome last week to address the high-security flaw that attackers were found to be exploiting in combination with a Windows vulnerability.

The security update released by Google Chrome last week.

If attackers are able to fully exploit both of these flaws together, they could get remote access to your computer to execute programs and codes, especially the ones running on Windows 7 or Server 2018. This basically means they could have full control of your system.

This flaw was detected and reported to Microsoft by security researchers of Kaspersky Labs.

If you want to install the latest security patch updates, head to your computer’s Settings, select Update & Security → Windows Update → Check for updates, or you can also select the option to install the update manually.

In order to make sure that your system is protected and you are not at the mercy of a hacker, users and system administrators have been strongly recommended to apply the latest security patches as soon as possible.