January's Security Bulletin is here: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-jan

CF recommends waiting a week to ten days to install updates rolled out on patch Tuesday. There have been numerous times when an update has resulted in major problems. By waiting, you have a greater assurance that any major issues have been resolved and/or an update may be pulled from release if the major issues cannot be resolved. This caveat does not apply to out-of-cycle critical security updates which should be installed as soon as they are released.

Keep in mind that you may not be offered all of these updates depending on the version of Windows on your computer and whether or not you have MS Office installed or other indicated software installed. In addition, the severity level and KB number of the update may vary based upon the same. Check the bulletin for specific information.

We only post Critical and Important security related update information here. As a general rule, you should not install any offered driver updates unless you are certain your pc manufacturer or hardware manufacturer's sites specifically state that is how updates are rolled out. "Recommended" updates should be checked out thoroughly before installing. If you do not have the issue the recommended updates are supposed to address, or do not wish to install the programs they offer, you may not need the update. In addition, if you install a recommended update without having the issue it addresses, it may cause problems.

If you have problems with any updates:

Start a free Windows Update support incident request: https://support.micr...aspx?gprid=6527

Support for Windows Update: http://support.micro...om/gp/wusupport

For home users, no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFETY in the United States and Canada or by contacting your local Microsoft subsidiary.

For more information about how to contact your local Microsoft subsidiary for support issues with security updates, visit the Microsoft International Support Web site: http://support.micro...l.aspx?rdpath=4

North American customers can also obtain instant access to unlimited no-charge e-mail support or to unlimited individual chat support by visiting the same site.

-----------------------------------------------

KB2636391 - Vulnerabilities in Windows Media Could Allow Remote Code Execution

This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted media file. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-004

-----------------------------------------------

KB2644615 - Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow Security Feature Bypass

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass the SafeSEH security feature in a software application. An attacker could then use other vulnerabilities to leverage the structured exception handler to run arbitrary code. Only software applications that were compiled using Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 can be used to exploit this vulnerability.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-001

-----------------------------------------------

KB2603381 - Vulnerability in Windows Object Packager Could Allow Remote Code Execution

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate file with an embedded packaged object that is located in the same network directory as a specially crafted executable file. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-002

-----------------------------------------------

KB2646524 - Vulnerability in Windows Client/Server Run-time Subsystem Could Allow Elevation of Privilege

This security update resolves one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. This security update is rated Important for all supported editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008. All supported editions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not affected by this vulnerability.

The vulnerability could allow elevation of privilege if an attacker logs on to an affected system and runs a specially crafted application. The attacker could then take complete control of the affected system and install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. This vulnerability can only be exploited on systems configured with a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean system locale.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-003

-----------------------------------------------

KB2584146 - Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Could Allow Remote Code Execution

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Office file containing a malicious embedded ClickOnce application. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-005

-----------------------------------------------

KB2643584 - Vulnerability in SSL/TLS Could Allow Information Disclosure

This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.0. This vulnerability affects the protocol itself and is not specific to the Windows operating system. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if an attacker intercepts encrypted web traffic served from an affected system. TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2, and all cipher suites that do not use CBC mode are not affected.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-006

-----------------------------------------------

KB2607664 - Vulnerability in AntiXSS Library Could Allow Information Disclosure

This security update resolves one privately reported vulnerability in the Microsoft Anti-Cross Site Scripting (AntiXSS) Library. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if a an attacker passes a malicious script to a website using the sanitization function of the AntiXSS Library. The consequences of the disclosure of that information depend on the nature of the information itself. Note that this vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate the attacker's user rights directly, but it could be used to produce information that could be used to try to further compromise the affected system. Only sites that use the sanitization module of the AntiXSS Library are affected by this vulnerability.

See this page for more information and severity level: http://technet.micro...lletin/ms12-007

-----------------------------------------------

Remember to set a restore point on your computer before installing new Windows updates, and again, waiting a week or so to install is a good idea.