Oracle releases 51 patches

Oracle today released 51 unique fixes as part of its latest quarterly security update. Some of the fixes correspond to vulnerabilities across products. The most severe vulnerabilities affect Oracle Database and E-Business Suite and are rated seven out of 10, according to Oracle's Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).

"Due to the threat posed by a successful attack, Oracle strongly recommends that fixes are applied as soon as possible," the company said today in an advisory.

For the first time, the database giant issued a pre-patch announcement that detailed its plans for today's release, much in the same way Microsoft does each month. The move was largely hailed as a way for IT administrators to get a better handle on the Oracle patching process.

But experts said Oracle - which has been forced to patch an increasing number of flaws over the past year - should concentrate on building security in.