<p>Microsoft has patched a dozen vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer (IE), Windows, Word and Exchange, fixing flaws in the new IE10 for the first time and crushing bugs in Windows 8 and Windows RT for the second month running.</p><p>Five of Patch Tuesday's seven security updates were marked "critical," Microsoft's most-severe ranking, while the remaining two were labeled "important." Of the 12 vulnerabilities, nine were critical.</p><p>Most security experts focused on two of the seven bulletins, Microsoft's term for a product security update: MS12-077, which patches three bugs in IE9 and IE10; and MS12-079, a one-bug update for Word 2003, 2007 and 2010.</p><p>MS12-077 was at the top of the list for both Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Security, and Jason Miller, VMware's manager of research and development. Both cited the importance of browser bugs because of the massive amount of time users spend in those applications as well as the frequent exploitation of browsers by attackers.</p><p><a href="http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/security/3416130/microsoft-quashes-critical-bugs-in-ie10-windows-8-word/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.scmagazineuk.com/final-patch-tuesday-of-2012-sees-microsoft-issue-five-critical-bulletins/article/272581/">Final Patch Tuesday of 2012 sees Microsoft issue five critical bulletins</a> (SC Magazine UK)</p><p><a href="http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/microsoft-patches-ie10-windows-8-word/146492">Microsoft patches IE10, Windows 8, Word</a> (ITWorld Canada)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=daX2J4BfWb5eYXM3oHJaeooUhavVM&ned=us">40 additional articles.</a></p>