Microsoft is going to roll out the final security patches for the soon-to-retire Windows XP and Office 2003 in its upcoming Patch Tuesday on April 8.
Microsoft will be releasing 4 security updates with two marked as ‘critical’ and two marked as ‘important’. Microsoft has labeled each of the bulletin as ‘remote code execution’ indicating that successful exploitation of each of the vulnerability could lead to execution of arbitrary code on the target system.
The first of the patches fixes a vulnerability that allows for execution of remote code if a maliciously crafted RTF file is opened in any of the version of Word on all operating systems right from Windows XP to Windows 8.1. The Mac version of the office productivity suite will also need patching.
Next is a critical fix that patches vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6 through to 11 on all versions of Windows operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 8.1, and Windows RT.
The remaining two ‘important’ fixes vulnerability in Windows operating system and Publisher 2003 and 2007.
Both Windows XP and Office 2003 will reach end-of-life after April 8 updates and will stop receiving security updates from that day onwards.
[Source: Microsoft]
