Monster set of patches from Microsoft

Microsoft and Adobe have both released advanced notifications for the security patches they will release next Tuesday.

Microsoft has its biggest ever set of patches in store, with 13 bulletins documenting 34 vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Office, Silverlight, SQL Server and Developer Tools.

Eight were named as critical, while five were deemed important. The bulletins patch computers against remote execution attacks, spoofing, elevation of privilege and denial of service.

The updates include a fix for a flaw which could crash Vista, Windows Server, and Windows 7, which hasn't even been released yet.

The flaw is in the implementation of Microsoft Server Message Block (SMB), a network file sharing protocol.

Adobe will release a patch on the same day for Adobe Reader and Acrobat, its second quarterly update.

Among other issues, the update will sort out a critical flaw in Adobe Reader and Acrobat, which is being exploited in the wild in limited targeted attacks.