Microsoft will take the unusual step of issuing an out-of-cycle patch for the Internet Explorer flaw thought to have been central to cyberattacks against Google and other companies.
The company announced on Tuesday that "given the significant level of attention this issue has generated, confusion about what customers can do to protect themselves, and the escalating threat environment, Microsoft will release a security update out-of-band for this vulnerability". Microsoft did not say exactly when it would release the patch, but promised more details for Wednesday.
Microsoft normally releases patches for its software on what has become known as 'Patch Tuesday', so corporations that use Microsoft products will know what is coming and can plan accordingly. But every now and then it will break with that pattern upon the discovery of an important flaw or vulnerability that requires a fast fix, since Patch Tuesday only comes once a month. The next Patch Tuesday is scheduled for 9 February.
For more on this story, see Microsoft to issue IE patch for Google attack flaw on CNET News.
