Out of Band IE patch coming

Microsoft just announced that it’s moving up its traditional Black Tuesday Internet Explorer patch. Today, March 30, you can expect another giant patch from MS, this one plugging the IE “peer factory” hole I talked about earlier this month.

If you use Windows 7 and IE 8, you’re safe. Everybody else is vulnerable*.

As usual, I advise that you avoid installing the patch and wait for the wails of pain to subside. Besides, you aren’t using Internet Explorer anyway, are you?

The Black Tuesday patches for March – one for Windows Movie Maker and one for Excel – don’t appear to be too problematic, but I haven’t seen any reports of systems cracked via the March holes. Thus, we remain at MS-DEFCON 2: Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don’t do it.

[UPDATE: *Permit me to elucidate. If you're using IE 8, you're safe from the "peer factory" hole. That's the big hole that prompted MS to release this IE patch early. MS10-018, like most IE security patches is a massive piece of, uh, work. It includes the "peer factory" fix, but it also includes many other, less urgent patches. Some day you will want to apply MS10-018/KB 980182, even if you have IE 8. But that day isn't today, in my opinion. Use any browser other than Internet Explorer, and wait for the wailing to subside.]