Microsoft's Valentine's Gift is a Series of Security Updates (Patch Tuesday)

The second Patch Tuesday of 2012 falls on February 14, otherwise known as Valentine's Day, and instead of a box of chocolates or flowers, Microsoft is giving its users the gift of security via nine security bulletins. Four of the updates are rated Critical and other five are labeled Important by the Redmond software giant.

All but one of the Critical bulletins apply to Windows, while the fourth relates to Microsoft's .NET framework and Silverlight platforms. Four of the Important bulletins also apply to Windows, and one plugs up a security hole in Office and Server software.


Seven of the nine updates require a restart, and other two might require one, so IT admins will be kept busy at the workplace before heading home to celebrate Valentine's Day with their significant others. If you work in IT, keep that in mind as you make reservations. But while the timing of this month's Patch Tuesday stinks for romantics, it ranks as another light update month for Microsoft. Patch Tuesday updates have yet to reach double digits in 2012, unlike a year ago this month, when Microsoft issued a dozen patches to address 22 vulnerabilities.