Microsoft's August security update, due for release on 12 August (13 August AEST), is shaping up to be a significant one, with several critical flaws that businesses should plan to patch quickly.

• What it is: This month's release includes a chain of two critical vulnerabilities in SharePoint that lets an attacker take over an internet-facing SharePoint server without needing any login details at all, plus a Windows kernel flaw affecting both desktop and server systems.
• Who is affected: Any business running SharePoint Server on-premises or in a hybrid setup, and all supported versions of Windows 10 and 11.
• The risk: The SharePoint issue requires no credentials to exploit, making internet-accessible SharePoint servers an easy target. The Windows kernel flaw can be chained with other vulnerabilities to escalate a minor compromise into full system control.
• What to do: Businesses running on-premises SharePoint should plan for the patch to be applied as soon as it's released, ideally within days rather than weeks. Standard Windows Update should handle desktop patching automatically, but it's worth confirming updates aren't deferred or paused.

We recommend treating this month's release as a priority rather than routine maintenance, particularly for any business still running SharePoint on its own servers.