Patch Tuesday March 2020: Update Highlights and Known Issues

Patch Tuesday March 2020 Edition

Microsoft rolled out the March 2020 Patch Tuesday updates on March 10, 2020. As always, with this batch of updates, the Redmond giant focuses on improving the overall functionality of the OS and fixing existing bugs.

This month’s updates are all about improving the security of most Windows components and apps. If you want to install the latest updates, you can check out this guide where you’ll also find the direct download links.

We already covered the key changes in these posts. Do check them out to learn what’s new:

• Download the Windows 10 March Patch Tuesday updates today
• The latest Patch Tuesday updates bring fixes to 115 CVEs
• KB4540705 fixes Credential Guard domain errors
• KB4540673 in Windows 10 v1909 and 1903 fixes OS update issues

What are the main updates?

• Microsoft Windows

Microsoft rolls out different Patch Tuesday updates for all the Windows 10 versions currently supported. For more information on the latest updates, check out our Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update history page.

• Microsoft Word

Microsoft uncovered an extremely dangerous vulnerability with Microsoft Word called CVE-2020-0852. Now that the March Patch Tuesday Updates have arrived, they have addressed a Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution Vulnerability.

Left unfixed, this vulnerability can cause you to expose yourself from simply viewing a specially crafted file in the Preview Pane. This allows code execution at the level of the logged-on user.

• Business Management Solution

This bug in the business management solution could allow attackers to execute arbitrary shell commands on a target system. While it is true that the exploitation of this Critical-rated bug won’t be straightforward, an authenticated attacker could still convince the target into connecting to a malicious Dynamics Business Central client or elevate permission to System to perform the code execution.

• LNK

This particular CVE is very similar to another similar CVE identified last month (called CVE-2020-0729). The fact that there is a need for a back-to-back patch to address the same issue simply indicates a failure to properly address the matter on the first try.

• Application Inspector

Microsoft managed to take care of a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to execute their code on a target system if they can convince a user to run Application Inspector on code that includes a specially crafted third-party component.

However, it is indicated that this CVE was treated back in January, but for some reason, it was included in the March patch Tuesday patch notes.

• Adobe

Strangely enough, the March Patch Tuesday updates bring no new features to any of the Adobe products. In February, Adobe had multiple releases, so it’s very likely security patches will be released at some point in March. We will update this blog with information should this happen.

Patch Tuesday list of CVEs

If you want to learn more about this month’s list of common vulnerabilities and exposures, you can check out the table below:

What are the best practices for Patch Tuesday

There are a few things that you can do in order to make sure that your computer installs the latest Patch Tuesday updates without any issues. We all know that Windows updates often trigger errors. In extreme cases, they may even render your PC completely unusable. Follow these tips to make sure the update install process goes as smoothly as possible.

How to download the latest PT updates

We have a special category where we keep track of all the monthly releases for the products that you are interested in.

Exploit Wednesday & Uninstall Thursday

Right after Patch Tuesday, hackers try to exploit the vulnerabilities left unpatched by Microsoft. This leads to an increase in the number of cyber attacks. On the other hand, many users often decide to uninstall the Patch Tuesday updates a few hours after install due to the large number of issues they triggered — hence the name Uninstall Thursday. Check out this guide to learn more on how to stay safe after Patch Tuesday and make sure the updates don’t brick your computer.

Patch Tuesday: All your Questions Answered

• When is Patch Tuesday released? Microsoft rolls out new Patch Tuesday updates on the second Tuesday of each month. The next Patch Tuesday Update is expected to arrive on April 14, 2020.
• How does Patch Tuesday work? We already answered this question in this quick guide. Do check it out to learn more on the mechanisms behind Patch Tuesday.
• What is the bandwidth impact of Patch Tuesday? When actively downloading updates, you may experience slow connection issues on your Windows 10 computer. This happens especially when updating multiple PCs at the same time. The solution is to distribute the updates locally via WSUS. This means downloading the updates from Microsoft Servers. Then, your Windows 10 computers can share the updates in a peer-to-peer manner over the local network resulting in a faster update process.

Patch Tuesday Troubleshooting

Oftentimes, Patch Tuesday updates trigger various errors on Windows computers. These may range from minor glitches to technical issues that may render your computer unusable. We covered extensively Patch Tuesday issues we compiled hundreds of troubleshooting guides to help you solve these problems quickly.