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Welcome to this month's Security Bulletins summary. The guide provides you with all information about this month's security updates for client and server Windows operating systems.
This month is special for two reasons. It is the last patch day for Windows XP, which Microsoft will stop supporting with public updates after today.
Microsoft makes available a feature update for Windows 8.1 which improves the operating system's mouse and keyboard usability. We have covered it before, check it out if you are interested in this one.
A total of four bulletins are released this month. Two have received the highest vulnerability rating of critical, while the other two a rating of important, the second highest rating.
Software affected by the updates include Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.
You find a summary of all important information about the security bulletins released by Microsoft this week.
Executive Summary
Video Summary
Operating System Distribution
All client-based Windows operating systems share the same bulletin vulnerability distribution. Each system is affected by one critical and one important bulletin.
Considering that this is the last public patch day for Windows XP, we will remove the operating system from next month on.
The server-based Windows systems share the same vulnerability profile as well. Each system is affected by one important and one moderate bulletin.
Other Microsoft Product Distribution
Two bulletins affect Microsoft Office software. Most products, with the exception of Office 2003 and Office 2007, are affected by one critical bulletin. The two mentioned programs are affected by one important bulletin in addition.
Deployment Guide
Microsoft releases a deployment priority each month to act as a guide for system and network administrators. The suggestion uses information such as a bulletins severity, exploits that already target it, and product to determine the bulletins that should be deployed with priority.
Security Bulletins
Non-security related updates
How to download and install the April 2014 security updates
The updates are as usual available via Windows Update. This is usually the way they are deployed on most home systems as Windows Update is configured to automatically download and install security updates.
The updates are available already. You may want to check for updates manually as it may take a while before Windows checks for updates again.
To do so, press the Windows-key and enter "windows updates" and select that option to run a manual update check.
You can download all updates from Microsoft's Download Center as well. The company will release a security ISO containing this month's patches as well which you can download. It takes some time before it gets released though.
If you need more information, check out our Windows Update guide which covers everything there is to know about updating Windows.
Additional information
Ghacks is a technology news blog that was founded in 2005 by Martin Brinkmann. It has since then become one of the most popular tech news sites on the Internet with five authors and regular contributions from freelance writers.
Um, why I only see the security-related updates, but nothing about the Update 1? Won’t UPD1 come through Windows Update normally? I thought this was the plan…
As always, thank you very much for your article about Microsoft updates :)
There has been an update to Microsoft Security Essentials (v 4.5). While it’s allright for Windows Vista and newer, XP users may prefer to avoid it and keep version 4.4… ;)
This is a How To…. Disable the Security Essentials End-of-Life Warning on Windows XP
use this link and follow the instructions…
http://superuser.com/questions/738131/disable-the-security-essentials-end-of-life-warning-on-windows-xp
Tested on a VM and works fine
Also…
Funny enough, Microsoft pushes the new SE-version (4.5.216, with nagging screen) through automatic updates, but still has the previous version (4.4.304) available for manual download. I would not be surprised if they’ve pushed the 4.5-version only to XP-users.
Anyway, the solution is:
Manually download Security Essentials here. Keep it for later use.
Go to your configuration screen.
Select ‘software’ and uninstall Security Essentials.
Select ‘Automatic updates’ and opt for the second possibility (download and ask to install).
Install your downloaded version of Security Essentials.
The first time Windows Update asks you to update SE, you say no and click that you do not want to be bothered again about this update.
Also… mse 4.4.304 is available here…
http://www.filehippo.com/download_security_essentials_xp/51102
Since no later than 2014-02-19, MSE Prerelease has been available at 4.5 and as of 2014-04-09 is at
Antimalware Client Version: 4.5.216.0
Engine Version: 1.1.10401.0
Antivirus definition: 1.169.2154.0
Antispyware definition: 1.169.2154.0
Network Inspection System Engine Version: 2.1.10302.0
Network Inspection System Definition Version: 110.31.0.0
FYI Brian Krebs has a complete Patch Tuesday update, which not only includes Windows but Adobe products like Flash and AIR. I feel Adobe patches often are at least as important as Microsoft.
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/04/adobe-microsoft-push-critical-fixes/
KB2936068-MS14-018 update, after it is installed, will not let Avast! Free and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium load. Even a reinstall of Avast! Free cannot be completed. I had to use a saved Restore Image to get these programs working again.
(W7 pro 32bit, IE11)