What you need to know
- October's Patch Tuesday lineup is here.
- Updates are available for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- As is usually the case, the updates are predominantly security-focused.
If you want Windows 11 and Windows 10 as secure as possible, you're going to want to keep them updated with the latest patches from Microsoft, which tend to roll out on the second Tuesday of every month. This October's Patch Tuesday slate is more of the usual, with the bulk of updates being focused on security.
Windows 11 got cumulative update KB5006674. It helps smooth over some compatibility issues W11 was suffering with Intel's and Dell's network optimization software. It also contains routine security updates to keep your system secure. You can see the full lineup of updates for Windows 11 via Microsoft's post (opens in new tab), though the optimization issue is the highlight.
Meanwhile, Windows 10 (21H1, 20H2, and 2004) got KB5006670. That update is headlined by a notice (opens in new tab) that version 2004 is hitting its end of service date on December 14, 2021.
In addition to the usual service stacking updates, there's one highlight regarding Windows 10 feature fixes:
Addresses an issue that prevents some applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Reader, from opening or causes them to stop responding. This occurs on devices that are subject to Microsoft Exploit Protection for Export Address Filtering (EAF).
Beyond that single item, this month's Patch Tuesday humbly offers the standard mammoth lineup of security updates. For a full read on all the threats that have been addressed or are being flagged by Microsoft as of October 2021's patches, check out the security update roundup (opens in new tab).
That's it until November's Patch Tuesday rolls around. Grab your security updates and sit tight until a more jam-packed set of monthly updates rolls around.
