Patch Tuesday

Details on Microsoft’s security updates.

 

Patch Tuesday is the name given to the day each month that Microsoft releases security and other patches for their operating systems and other software.

Patch Tuesday is always the second Tuesday of each month and more recently is being referred to as Update Tuesday.

Non-security updates to Microsoft Office tend to occur on the first Tuesday of each month and firmware updates for Microsoft’s Surface devices on the third Tuesday of every month.

 

NOTE : Most Windows users will experience more of a Patch Wednesday because they’re prompted to install, or notice the installation of, the updates downloaded via Windows Update on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Some half-jokingly refer to the day after Patch Tuesday as Crash Wednesday, referring to the troubles that sometimes accompany a computer after the patches are installed (honestly, this rarely happens).

 

IMPORTANT: If you’re currently using Windows 8.1 but have not yet applied the Windows 8.1 Update package or updated to Windows 10, you must do so to continue to receive these important security patches!

 

What Do These Patch Tuesday Updates Do?

These patches from Microsoft update several individual files involved in making Windows and other Microsoft software work.

These files were determined by Microsoft to have security issues, meaning that they have “bugs” that could provide a means to do something malicious to your computer without your knowledge.

 

How Do I Know If I Need These Security Updates?

You need these updates if you’re running any supported edition of Microsoft’s operating systems, 32-bit or 64-bit. This includes Windows 10, Windows 8 (as well as Windows 8.1), and Windows 7, plus supported Server versions of Windows.

A number of other products are receiving patches this month too. You can see the full list on Microsoft’s Security Update Guide page, along with the associated KB articles and security vulnerability details. Just set the date filter to avoid showing previous months’ updates.

Here’s a summary list:

• Adobe Flash Player
• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Services and Web Apps
• ChakraCore
• ASP.NET
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• Team Foundation Server
• Azure DevOps Server
• Open Enclave SDK
• Windows Admin Center

Some updates correct issues so serious that, in certain situations, remote access to your computer may be possible without your permission. These issues are classified as critical, while most others are less serious and classified as important, moderate, or low.

NOTE : Windows XP and Windows Vista are no longer supported by Microsoft and so no longer receive security patches. Windows Vista support ended on April 11, 2017 and Windows XP support ended on April 8, 2014.

 

Are There Any Non-Security Updates This Patch Tuesday?

Yes, a number of non-security updates are being made available for all supported versions of Windows including, as usual, this month’s update to the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

Microsoft’s Surface tablets also usually get driver and/or firmware updates on Patch Tuesday. You can get all the details on these updates from Microsoft’s Surface Update History page. Individual update histories are available for of Microsoft’s Surface devices.

There may also be non-security updates included this month for Microsoft software other than Windows. See the non-security update information in the section below for details.

 

Download Patch Tuesday Updates

In most situations, the best way to download patches on Patch Tuesday is via Windows Update. Only the updates you need will be listed and, unless you’ve configured Windows Update otherwise, will be downloaded and installed automatically.

You can usually find links to any non-security Microsoft Office updates on the Microsoft Office Updates blog.

 

NOTE : Updates are typically not available to consumers for individual installation. When they are, or if you’re a business or enterprise user, please know that most of these downloads come in a choice of 32-bit or 64-bit versions.

 

Patch Tuesday Problems

While updates from Microsoft rarely result in widespread problems with Windows itself, they do frequently cause specific issues with software or drivers provided by other companies.

 

Patch Tuesday & Windows 10

Microsoft has publicly commented that beginning with Windows 10, they will no longer be pushing updates solely on Patch Tuesday, instead pushing them more frequently, essentially ending the idea of Patch Tuesday altogether.

While this change goes for both security updates and non-security updates, and Microsoft is clearly updating Windows 10 outside of Patch Tuesday, so far they still seem to be pushing a majority of the updates to their latest operating system on Patch Tuesday.