Microsoft to release 'exploitability index' with security patches

Issuing patches monthly or quarterly means IT managers are bombarded with fixes that they need to evaluate and apply as they race against hackers who may be looking at ways to attack systems that are vulnerable - if they hadn't done so already. Microsoft, which tomorrow is expected to issue 11 patches - four of them rated critical, expected to add an "Exploitability Index" to each of the fixes. The three-step ranking is in descending order of severity: Consistent exploit code likely; Inconsistent exploit code likely; and Functioning exploit code unlikely. Microsoft expects that users and corporate IT administrators will combine the index rating with the company's current threat rankings, which estimate the potential impact as "critical" through "low," to prioritize patches, reports Computerworld.

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