Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for October, 2004

How do I use this table?

You use this table to learn about the security updates that you may need to install. You should review each software program or component listed to see if there are required security updates. If a software program or component is listed then the impact of the vulnerability is listed and also hyperlinked to the available software update.

In the table, a number in brackets [x] indicates that there is a note that explains more about the issue. These notes are located at the bottom of the table.

Affected Software and Download Locations

[1] This operating system is vulnerable to this issue. However, it is not critically affected. Security updates for non-critical issues are typically not offered on this operating system. For more information about the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies for this operating system, visit the following Web site. See the appropriate security bulletin for more details.

[2] There is a security update available for this operating system. See the affected component, Microsoft Internet Explorer, in the table and the appropriate security bulletin for more details.

[3] This software program makes use of the underlying operating system component and is therefore called out as affected software. See the affected operating system in the table and the appropriate security bulletin for more details.

[4] This update is intended for systems with Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1.
The corresponding critical security update for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a, Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Service Edition Service Pack 6, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 SE, and Microsoft Windows ME can be found at the following download location.

Software Update Services:

By using Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003-based servers, and to desktop systems that are running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.

For more information about how to deploy this security update with Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server:

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) delivers a highly-configurable enterprise solution for managing updates. By using SMS, administrators can identify Windows-based systems that require security updates and to perform controlled deployment of these updates throughout the enterprise with minimal disruption to end users. For more information about how administrators can use SMS 2003 to deploy security updates, see the SMS 2003 Security Patch Management Web site. SMS 2.0 users can also use Software Updates Service Feature Pack to help deploy security updates. For information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.

Note SMS uses the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin update detection and deployment. Some software updates may not be detected by these tools. Administrators can use the inventory capabilities of the SMS in these cases to target updates to specific systems. For more information about this procedure, see the following Web site. Some security updates require administrative rights following a restart of the system. Administrators can use the Elevated Rights Deployment Tool (available in the SMS 2003 Administration Feature Pack and in the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack) to install these updates.

QChain.exe and Update.exe:

Microsoft has released a command-line tool named QChain.exe that gives system administrators the ability to safely chain security updates together. Chaining is when you install multiple updates without restarting between each install. Update.exe, used in the updates that are described in this advisory, has chaining functionality built in. Customers who use Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or later, who use Windows XP, or who use Windows Server 2003, do not require Qchain.exe to chain these updates. Qchain.exe still supports chaining these Windows Updates so that an administrator can create a consistent deployment script across all platforms. For more information about Qchain, visit this Web site.

Integrating security updates into your Windows installation source files:

It is possible to integrate Windows software updates that use Update.exe with Windows installation source files. This procedure may be useful when an administrator must apply one or more software updates during installations from a Windows distribution folder that the administrator creates. This procedure is also useful when integrating security updates so that a new installation does not become infected by a virus when it is set up. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 828930.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer:

The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.