Three of the security bulletins have been rated as critical by
Microsoft.
Experts at Sophos have advised companies to keep up-to-date with
the latest Microsoft security patches and consider the benefits of
Network Access Control (NAC) in light of the announcement of
critical security flaws affecting the Windows operating system.
As part of its monthly "Patch Tuesday" schedule Microsoft has
issued a number of new bulletins (three of them described as
"critical") about security vulnerabilities in its software. The
vulnerabilities affect versions of the Windows operating system and
Internet Explorer.
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.
"NAC identifies managed, unmanaged and guest computers that do
not comply with your security policy, and acts a vital tool when
dealing with newly reported security vulnerabilities such as
these," said Graham
Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "For instance,
you can quickly tell which of your company's computers are
incorrectly patched or have the firewall disabled. You can then
choose to automatically fix vulnerabilities before allowing the PCs
to access your network, or simply block non-compliant computers.
Whether your company is running NAC or not, it's important to take
these latest security bulletins from Microsoft seriously and ensure
that your business is properly protected."
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.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.