Microsoft will be issuing seven security patches, of which three are rated “critical,” in the upcoming Patch Tuesday. The other four patches carry a maximum rating of “important,” addressing security flaws in a wide range of Windows versions — including Vista.

According to The Register:

Two of the critical updates plug holes in the entire line of supported Windows operating system versions. The patches address components including DirectX, DirectShow, and Windows Media Format Runtime. The third critical fix is for versions 6 and 7 of the Internet Explorer browser.

If you are a security administrator, you might want to check out Microsoft’s Security Bulletin Advance Notification for more information.

There was only one “critical” and one “important” rated vulnerability in November last month, so this marks an upswing.