Demystifying Patch Tuesday: Insights Into Microsoft's Regular Cybersecurity Enhancements

Demystifying Patch Tuesday: Insights Into Microsoft’s Regular Cybersecurity Enhancements

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What to Know

The latest Patch Tuesday was on July 9. The next one will be on August 13.
The update fixed 142 security vulnerabilities. Five updates were marked_Critical._
Check Windows Update to install these patches, or let them install automatically if your PC is configured to do so.

This article explains what Patch Tuesday is and what was included in the latest set of updates.

Why Is Patch Tuesday Important?

Patch Tuesday is the name given to the day each month that Microsoft releases security and other patches for their operating systems and other software. It’s always the second Tuesday of each month and is sometimes referred to as_Update Tuesday_ .

Non-security updates to Microsoft Office tend to occur on the first Tuesday of each month and firmware updates for Microsoft’s Surface devices on the third Tuesday of every month.

Most Windows users will experience more of a Patch_Wednesday_ because they’re prompted to install, or notice the installation of, the updates downloaded via Windows Update on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Some half-jokingly refer to the day after Patch Tuesday as Crash Wednesday , referring to the troubles that sometimes accompany a computer after the patches are installed (honestly, this_rarely_ happens).

If you’re currently using Windows 8.1 but have not yet applied the Windows 8.1 Update package or updated to Windows 10 or Windows 11, you_must_ do so to continue to receive these important security patches! See our Windows 8.1 Update piece for more on what this is and how to upgrade.

What Do These Patch Tuesday Updates Do?

These patches from Microsoft update several individual files involved in making Windows and other Microsoft software work.

The following are the number of bugs addressed in each category:

Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities: 59
Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabilities: 26
Security Feature Bypass Vulnerabilities: 24
Denial of Service Vulnerabilities: 17
Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities: 9
Spoofing Vulnerabilities: 7

These files were determined by Microsoft to have security issues, meaning that they have “bugs” that could provide a means to do something malicious to your computer without your knowledge.

How Do I Know If I Need These Security Updates?

You need these updates if you’re running any supported edition of Microsoft’s operating systems, 32-bit or 64-bit. This includes Windows 11 and Windows 10, plus supported Server versions of Windows.

Several other products are receiving patches this month, too. You can see the full list on Microsoft’s Security Update Guide page, along with the associated KB articles and security vulnerability details.

Some updates correct issues so serious that, in certain situations, remote access to your computer may be possible without your permission. These issues are classified ascritical , while most others are less serious and classified asimportant ,moderate , orlow .

See Microsoft Security Bulletin Severity Rating System for more on these classifications, and the July 2024 Security Updates Release Notes for Microsoft’s very brief summary on this collection of security updates.

Windows XP , Windows Vista , Windows 7 , Windows 8 , and Windows 8.1 are no longer supported by Microsoft and so no longer receive security patches. Windows 8.1 support ended on January 10, 2023; Windows 8 support ended on January 12, 2016; Windows 7 support ended on January 14, 2020; Windows Vista support ended on April 11, 2017; and Windows XP support ended on April 8, 2014.

In case you’re curious: Windows 11 v22H2 support is slated to end on October 8, 2024; Windows 11 v23H2 support will end on November 11, 2025; and Windows 10 support will end on October 14, 2025.

Are There Any Non-Security Updates This Patch Tuesday?

Yes, a number of non-security updates are being made available for all supported versions of Windows including, as usual, this month’s update to the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

Microsoft’s Surface tablets also usually get driver and/or firmware updates on Patch Tuesday. You can get all the details on these updates from Microsoft’s Surface Update History page. Individual update histories are available for Microsoft’s Surface devices.

There may also be non-security updates included this month for Microsoft software other than Windows.

Download Patch Tuesday Updates

In most situations, the best way to download patches on Patch Tuesday is via Windows Update. Only the updates you need will be listed and, unless you’ve configured Windows Update otherwise, will be downloaded and installed automatically.

See How to Check for and Install Windows Updates if you’re new to this or need some help.

You can usually find links to any non-security Office updates on the Office Updates page.

Updates are typically not available to consumers for individual installation. When they are, or if you’re a business or enterprise user, please know that most of these downloads come in a choice of 32-bit or 64-bit versions. See Do I Have 32-bit or 64-bit Windows? if you’re not sure which downloads to choose.

Patch Tuesday Problems

While updates from Microsoft rarely result in widespread problems with Windows itself, they do frequently cause specific issues with software or drivers provided by other companies.

If you haven’t yet installed these patches, please see How to Prevent Windows Updates From Crashing Your PC for a number of preventative measures you should take before applying these updates, including disabling fully automatic updates.

If you’re having problems after Patch Tuesday, or during or after installing any Windows update:

See How to Recover From a Frozen Windows Update Installation for help if your computer freezes_during_ the installation of an update.
See How to Fix Problems Caused by Windows Updates for help undoing the damage if the updates_already_ installed but you’re now experiencing a problem.

See Windows Updates & Patch Tuesday FAQ for answers to other common questions, including_”Does Microsoft test these updates before they push them out?”_ and “Why hasn’t Microsoft fixed the problem that their update caused on my computer?!”

Patch Tuesday & Windows 11/10

Microsoft has publicly commented that beginning with Windows 10, they will no longer be pushing updates solely on Patch Tuesday, instead pushing them more frequently, essentially ending the idea of Patch Tuesday altogether.

While this change goes for both security updates and non-security updates, and Microsoft is clearly updating Windows 10 and Windows 11 outside of Patch Tuesday, so far they still seem to be pushing a majority of the updates to their latest operating system on Patch Tuesday.

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