Fixes for 33 flaws: Oracle goes patch-tastic

Oracle on Tuesday released fixes for a laundry list of security vulnerabilities in many of its software products.

The "Critical Patch Update", part of Oracle's quarterly patch release cycle, delivers fixes for 33 flaws in Oracle's Database products, 14 in its Application Server, 13 in the Collaboration Suite, 22 in E-Business Suite and Applications, four in PeopleSoft's PeopleTools, and two in JD Edwards software.

Several of the flaws carry Oracle's most serious rating, which means they are easy to exploit and an attack can have a wide impact, according to the alert. Symantec said in an alert to users of its DeepSight intelligence service: "The most severe of the vulnerabilities could possibly expose affected computers to complete compromise."

Oracle doesn't provide many details in its advisory, which could be a challenge for users when prioritising patches, Pete Finnigan, a security specialist, wrote on his blog. "The descriptions for all the bugs except for the database section give nothing away whatsoever," he said.

Oracle has been criticised for dragging its heels on fixing security flaws and being unresponsive to researchers who find bugs. In response, Oracle's chief security officer, Mary Ann Davidson, said security researchers can be a problem when it comes to product security.

Joris Evers writes for CNET News.com