Microsoft primes a dozen security updates

Microsoft has 12 security bulletins in store for next Tuesday that address both Windows and Office issues.

Ten Windows bulletins will be released for Windows and two for Office as part of Microsoft's monthly patching schedule. Specific details on the types of issues that the bulletins address were not available but at least one update for each product is considered critical and some will require a restart, Microsoft said in a notice posted on its website.

Last month after Microsoft released its monthly batch of patches, exploits for flaws in its PowerPoint presentation software were released on the web. Tuesday's patches could be fixes for those issues but Wednesday might signal the release of other exploits for flaws the company has yet to patch.

On the Windows front, security companies recently noticed a variant of an exploit for a flaw that Microsoft had previously patched, and Tuesday's updates could also contain patches that address that variant.

Microsoft will hold a webcast next Wednesday to answer customer questions about the latest cycle of patches.

Tom Krazit writes for CNET News.com