Microsoft to patch Windows flaws

Microsoft plans to release patches for five Windows flaws next week, the software giant announced Thursday.

The company posted the information on its TechNet site as part of a new program that gives the general public advance notification of security bulletins. The program was announced in November, the same month the program debuted with a notification of a spoofing flaw in advance of the actual patch.

The fixes for the glitches in the Windows operating system will appear on Dec. 14, according to the posting. Microsoft typically releases patches on the second Tuesday of each month, a schedule it decided upon more than a year ago.

However, the company breaks with its schedule when it needs to release a patch that fixes a vulnerability actively being used to compromise PCs. Earlier this month, it released an update to repair a critical security hole in Internet Explorer.

None of the upcoming Windows flaws are considered critical, the advance note stated. The maximum severity rating is "important," Microsoft's second highest threat rating.

Microsoft declined to give any further details of the vulnerabilities.