Critical Bugs vs. Security Flaws

I found the choice of terminology interesting in the headlines and decks on CIO.com’s security page for two security related news items.

Microsoft Patches Critical Bugs in Windows, Office
Microsoft today patched five vulnerabilities in Windows and Office, including a bug hackers have been exploiting for almost a month.

Oracle Releases 59 Patches for Security Flaws, Three Critical
Oracle Corp. released 59 patches on Tuesday to fix security vulnerabilities across its entire range of database, application and middleware products.

It is a simple choice of words, but does headline garner more attention for the security minded? It’s important to note that Microsoft releases security updates every month, while Oracle has only released 3 groups of  updates this year so far with 59, 47, and 24 vulnerabilities addressed in each of the three groups. Microsoft has published 45 security bulletins to date.

The bottom line, ensure you update and apply patches to minimize the risk of a exploitation.

Other Patch Links
CIO Patch Survival Guide
Microsoft Technet Security
Critical Patch Updates and Security Alerts