Patch Tuesday: the gift that keeps on giving. Imagine a world where the second Tuesday in a month came and went, with no updates to install. Something to celebrate. Meanwhile, back in the real world, there’s an apparently infinite supply of software bugs out there, most as-yet undiscovered.

But back to the matter at hand. Microsoft’s Security Update Guide is still annoying to use on the web, so I recommend downloading this month’s patch details in the form of a spreadsheet. Navigate to the SUG, which by default will show the updates for this month. You should see a ‘Download’ link to the far right of the Security Updates heading. Click that link and open the spreadsheet in Excel or something compatible. In Excel, depending on the version, you should be able to enable the Filter feature, which makes each column heading a drop-down control, allowing you to filter and sort on any column. Very handy.

This month Microsoft is issuing seventy-three bulletins, each corresponding to an update for one or more security vulnerabilities. Forty-eight vulnerabilities are addressed by the updates, which affect the usual targets, namely Windows, Internet Explorer, Edge, Office, .NET, Flash (in IE and Edge), Visual Studio, and Exchange Server.

Windows 10 users will get relevant updates whether they want them or not, as will anyone using older versions of Windows with automatic updates enabled. The rest of us will need to head to Windows Update and click the Check for Updates button.

From Adobe, we get a new version of Flash, to go along with last week’s new version of Reader.

The latest Flash is version 32.0.0.114, and it includes fixes for feature and performance bugs, but — surprisingly — none for security bugs.

As usual, the Flash embedded in Chrome will update itself along with the browser, while IE and Edge updates are provided via Windows Update. Your Flash installation may be configured to install updates automatically, but if not, head to the main Flash Player page, which will let you know if you need an update, and provide links.

The new version of Reader (Acrobat Reader DC), made available by Adobe on January 3, is A2019.010.20069. Flash 2019.010.20069 includes fixes for two Critical security issues.

Newer installations of Reader seem to keep themselves up to date, but you can grab the latest version at the Get Reader page. Remember to disable the optional applications, or you’ll get what is likely unwanted software such as McAfee antivirus products.