Microsoft slates end to security bulletins in February

Microsoft next month will stop issuing detailed security bulletins, which for nearly 20 years have provided individual users and IT professionals information about vulnerabilities and their patches.

One patching expert crossed his fingers that Microsoft would make good on its pledge to publish the same information when it switches to a new online database. "I'm on the fence right now," said Chris Goettl, product manager with patch management vendor Shavlik, of the demise of bulletins. "We'll have to see [the database] in February before we know how well Microsoft has done [keeping its promise]."

Microsoft announced the demise of bulletins in November, saying then that the last would be posted with January's Patch Tuesday -- the monthly round of security updates for Windows and other Microsoft software -- and that the new process would kick in on Feb. 14, next month's patch day.

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