Microsoft now providing third-party patches
At the monthly Microsoft patchfest last Tuesday, Microsoft actually provided software updates for a non-Microsoft program. Internet Week reports
Tuesday, Microsoft pushed out a patch to Windows XP, 98, and Millennium users for Flash Player, an Adobe-owned multimedia application that’s bundled with those operating systems. It was the first time that the Redmond, Wash. developer had issued an update for a non-Microsoft product using its Windows Update service.
In another Internet Week article Mike Murray, director of research at vulnerability management vendor nCircle, is quoted as saying
“We can’t get our heads around [the Flash player patch}. Maybe there’s something going on behind the scenes, but since when has Microsoft patched third-party products? Is this a move to take more accountability of bundled, partnered products in Windows? If so, that would be huge, a phenomenal step for Microsoft, to essentially ‘own’ security at any level that touches the Microsoft OS.”
Microsoft seems to have indicated that this will not be the last time they issue a patch for a third-party application. However, they are having a less than auspicious beginning. Guess what? Glitches in the Flash update are being reported
If, as an analyst suggested Tuesday, Microsoft plans to begin patching more than its own software, its first effort got off to a rocky start. By Wednesday, Windows users were complaining of glitches in updating Adobe’s Flash Player through the Windows Update service…
Threads with titles such as “Security Update for Flash Player,” “flash player cannot be updated,” and “Flash Player” contain a slew of grievances, most of them remarking about repeated failures of the patch to install.
Personally, I am sticking with getting updates directly from the company involved. The Flash update has been available for some weeks from Adobe.
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