On Tuesday Microsoft will release a single patch addressing a critical flaw in its Windows operating system. The update will be issued as part of the software company's monthly security update.

The Redmond, Washington, company provided no other details on the patch, other than to note that the users will need to restart their computers after installing the software and that it will be detectable using Microsoft's Baseline Security Analyzer.

Microsoft releases most security patches on the second Tuesday of each month, a date that has come to be known as "Patch Tuesday" by security professionals. This month's update looks to be a much simpler affair for Windows administrators than October's. Last month, Microsoft released a total of nine patches on Patch Tuesday.

Microsoft's statement on next Tuesday's update can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/advance.mspx.