Microsoft's `Patch Tuesday' edition for June comprises ten security bulletins - nine patches and one update for the Internet Explorer - which fix a total of 34 different vulnerabilities in Windows, Microsoft Office, IE, and the .NET Framework.

Three of the recently-fixed vulnerabilities have received the `critical' rating, which is Microsoft's top security risk level; while seven of the bulletins address security flaws that have been rated as `important.' The company has advised the users to make the installation of the critical fixes a top updating priority.

The IE update will fix multiple flaws, including one `critical' flaw which can allow hackers to remotely take control of host computers.

Two of the other `critical' flaws include one that fixes remote code execution vulnerability in a media decompression component in all currently-supported Windows' versions; the other introduces a set of killbits to prevent attacks on ActiveX components.

According to Dave Marcus, head of research and communications of McAfee Labs, most of the vulnerabilities that the update addresses could be exploited via social engineering attacks launched by unsuspecting users.

Marcus elaborated: "These vulnerabilities could be exploited to booby trap web sites, Office and Windows Media files to gain control over vulnerable computers simply by tricking victims into opening a malicious file or clicking a malicious link."