Bonn, Germany  - Microsoft has eliminated 23 vulnerabilities in its Windows and Office products. Users of those programs should install the corresponding security updates as soon as possible, the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn, central Germany, is advising.

This can be handled by activating automatic updates in the Windows Security Centre or visiting Microsoft's update site at http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate.

The April batch of patches, as the updates are known, close security holes in WordPad, the office text converter, Excel, the DirectShow/DirectX graphics components, and various services built in to Windows. (dpa)