Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for April, 2004

Included in this advisory are updates for the newly discovered vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. These vulnerabilities, broken down by severity are:

Critical

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-011 – Security Update for Microsoft Windows (835732)

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-012 – Cumulative Update for Microsoft RPC/DCOM (828741)

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-013 – Cumulative Security Update for Outlook Express (837009)

Important

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-014 – Vulnerability in the Microsoft Jet Database Engine Could Allow Code Execution (837001)

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Software Update Services (SUS):

Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) enables administrators to quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows® 2000 and Windows Server™ 2003-based servers, as well as to desktop systems running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.

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

Systems Management Server (SMS):

Systems Management Server can provide assistance deploying this security update. For information about Systems Management Server visit the SMS Web Site.  For detailed information about the many enhancements to the security update deployment process that SMS 2003 provides, please visit the SMS 2003 Security Patch Management Web site.  For users of SMS 2.0, it also provides several additional tools to assist administrators in the deployment of security updates such as the SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack and the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack.  The SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack utilizes the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin remediation. Some software updates may require administrative rights following a restart of the computer

Note: The inventory capabilities of the SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack may be used for targeting updates to specific computers, and the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack's Elevated Rights Deployment Tool can be used for installation. This provides optimal deployment for updates that require explicit targeting using Systems Management Server and administrative rights after the computer has been restarted.

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 rebooting between each install. Update.exe, used in the updates described in this advisory, has chaining functionality built in. For customers using Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or higher, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, Qchain.exe is not required 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 on Qchain, visit this Web site

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA):

The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. More information on MBSA is available at the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.

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Acknowledgments

Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers:

Obtaining other security updates:

Updates for other security issues are available from the following locations:

Support:

Security Resources:

Disclaimer:

The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.

Revisions:

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