Microsoft releases eight security patches

Microsoft has released five critical patches and three patches rated as important this week as part of its monthly patching cycle.

Alan Bentley, regional vice-president of security firm Lumension, said, "IT administrators need to pay close attention to the critical patches. With these patches addressing vulnerabilities across Microsoft Windows, Office and Internet Explorer, organisations must ensure they take a close look at all applications."

He said, "The Internet Explorer vulnerability (MS08-023) is concerning, as users simply have to click onto a specially crafted web page to expose themselves to infection."

The vulnerability addressed by MS08-020 for Windows DNS Clients should be addressed quickly by IT administrators, said Bentley, as it allows internet traffic from legitimate locations to be spoofed or redirected.