Four of the security bulletins have been rated as critical by
Microsoft.
IT security and control firm Sophos has advised companies to
consider the benefits of Network Access Control (NAC) in light of
the announcement of a number of new critical security patches from
Microsoft.
As part of its monthly "Patch Tuesday" schedule Microsoft has
issued six new bulletins (four of them described as "critical")
about a number of different security vulnerabilities in its
software including Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Mail
and Microsoft Word. The vulnerabilities cover a number of different
versions of the Windows operating system, including Vista.
Sophos recommends that organizations roll-out the patches as a
matter of urgency, as some of them could enable hackers to access
data on a vulnerable PC or run malicious code such as a worm.
Network Access Control enables companies to control who and what
is allowed onto their network; blocking unauthorized users,
controlling guest access, and ensuring compliance with a business's
security policy. By implementing NAC firms reduce the risk of
unauthorized, guest, non-compliant, or infected systems
compromising the network, ensuring that only correctly secured
computers gain network access.
"Having the latest security patches in place is a must for
businesses and home users alike, or you run the gauntlet of being
the victim of a hacker attack," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant at Sophos. "Network Access Control
can help organizations enforce security policies, ensuring that any
non-compliant device is locked down and unable to jeopardize the
network."
Home users of Microsoft Windows can visit update.microsoft.com to have their systems scanned for
Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Sophos suggests that every IT manager responsible for security
should consider subscribing to vulnerability mailing lists such as
that operated by Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.
Sophos continues to recommend companies protect their desktops
and servers with automatically updated
protection against viruses, spyware, hackers, and spam.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.