Skip to main content

Microsoft details final Windows XP and Office 2003 security updates

microsoft details final windows xp office 2003 security updates hd wallpapers 2013 1

Update: 4/8/14 4:10 pm ET: These patches should be live now, and available for download via Windows Update.

Microsoft has released details regarding the final patches for Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003, which it will push to users on Tuesday, April 8. That’s also the company’s end-of-support deadline for both pieces of software. According to Microsoft’s advance notification for the updates, users will get two updates apiece for XP and Office 2003. All four updates address remote code execution vulnerabilities, including one “Critical” issue for both XP and Office.

Related Videos

According to ZDNet, the “Critical” Windows XP fix addresses problems in Internet Explorer versions 6-9 and 11, though it doesn’t apply to Internet Explorer 10. Meanwhile, the second update is marked “Important” for all versions of Windows, including XP.

The “Critical” Microsoft Office 2003 patch deals with a Microsoft Word exploit allowing hackers to remotely take control of a compromised user’s PC. The update comes almost two weeks after Microsoft issued a security bulletin warning users of the threat.

Despite multiple warnings from a variety of sources, including a bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, many users plan to continue running XP after Microsoft drops support. If you’re one of those people, you should take a look at our guide to keeping your system secure after Microsoft abandons Windows XP.

Editors' Recommendations

Bing Image Creator brings DALL-E AI-generated images to your browser
Bing Image Creator being used in the Edge sidebar.

Microsoft isn't slowing down its momentum in generative AI. Just a month since it launched the ChatGPT-based Bing Chat, the company is now introducing Bing Image Creator, which brings text-to-image generation right to your browser.

Bing Image Creator lets you create images from text using DALL-E, which is OpenAI's own text-to-image AI model. Microsoft says it's using "an advanced" version of DALL-E, though the company didn't provide specifics about how it was different than the current DALL-E 2 model. This isn't dissimilar, though, to how Bing Chat was announced, which had been running on GPT-4 before the new model had even been announced.

Read more
The Windows 11 taskbar is getting an important new update
windows 11 taskbar third party app pinning

Microsoft is working on new experiences for Windows that will allow developers to enable pinning for third-party applications, as well as enable pinning to the Taskbar.

Microsoft recently announced the details of these upcoming functions in a blog post. This is the brand's attempt to universalize its pinning process across all apps used on Windows. In practice, it will be similar to how pinning works on the Edge browser, with the Windows 11 users being notified by the Action Center about a request for pinning to the Taskbar by the app in question.

Read more
Firefox just got a great new way to protect your privacy
Canva in Firefox on a MacBook.

If you’re fed up with signing up for new accounts online and then being perpetually spammed in the days and weeks after, Mozilla has an idea that could help. The company has just announced its Firefox Relay feature is being directly integrated into its Firefox web browser, and it could help guarantee your privacy without any extra hassle.

Firefox Relay works by letting you create email “masks” when you sign up for new accounts. Instead of entering your real credentials into the sign-up field, Firefox Relay provides you with a throwaway address and phone number to use. Any messages from the website -- such as purchase receipts -- are then forwarded to your real email address, with all the sender’s tracking information stripped out to protect your privacy.

Read more