Microsoft Issues 5 Critical Patches

November's Patch Tuesday has brought with it five "critical" patches correcting 11 security vulnerabilities, along with an "important" fix for two vulnerabilities related to Novell's NetWare. Among the list of patches is one for a highly publicized flaw in Microsoft's XML Core Services component.

In total, three vulnerabilities were patched in Internet Explorer, one in Microsoft Agent, one in the Windows Workstation Service, in addition to the XML Core Services and NetWare patches. In an unusual step, Microsoft also issued a patch for five vulnerabilities affecting Adobe's Flash Player software. Customers can download all the patches via Windows Update or Microsoft Update.