Microsoft patches ten security flaws

"This patch release is a big one with lots of aftershocks," said Jonathan Bitle, a product manager at security company Qualys. "Three of the five updates, the IE and Windows updates, are especially critical as they take advantage of inexperienced users...Although a worm epidemic is unlikely, users can be easily enticed to visit malicious Web pages."

Eight of the 10 vulnerabilities repaired by the IE update could be abused to gain complete control over a Windows computer running vulnerable versions of the Web browser. In all instances, an attacker would have to create a malicious Web site and trick people into visiting that site to hook into a PC, Microsoft said in its Security Bulletin MS06-013.