This isn't any regular Patch Tuesday. This one is a monster.Microsoft is set to release a record security update for its software today, with 13 patches aimed at fixing 34 vulnerabilities.

Microsoft's advance notice has warned us that eight of the critical patches, addressing vulnerabilities in Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Silverlight, SQL Server, Forefront, Visual Studio, and other products, aim to stop hackers dead in their tracks from launching malicious attacks remotely.

A further five of the patches are classified as "important."

We already know the updates will include fixes for two current issues (a vulnerability in SMB that could allow remote code execution, and a security issue in IIS's FTP service).

Because hackers already know about (and are, in some cases, exploiting) these vulnerabilities, it is essential that your company patches against them as quickly as possible.

So when Microsoft releases its monster-patch later today, make sure you're ready.

Graham Cluley is senior technology consultant at Sophos, and has been working in the computer security field since the early 1990s. When he's not updating his other blog on the Sophos website, you can find him on Twitter at @gcluley. Special to Dark Reading.