January 2025 Patch Tuesday Updates Are Out for Windows 11 and Windows 10

Microsoft has just released the January 2025 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 and Windows 10. The KB5050009 patch is available for Windows 11 version 24H2, while the KB5050021 patch is out for the versions 23H2 and 22H2 of the OS.

As usual, the release notes include minimum details about the changes and security updates, but there are no new features to mention this month. Microsoft sometimes releases new features in preview in optional updates released in the last week of the month, but this didn’t happen in December due to the holidays.

For Windows 10 users, the KB5049981 is available today for the version 22H2 of the OS, and the release notes only mention “security issues for your Windows operating system.” If you care about security, security experts at the Zero Day Initiative mentioned a total of 161 fixes for security flaws in Windows and other components this month, with 11 of them rated as Critical.

“This is the largest number of CVEs addressed in any single month since at least 2017 and is more than double the usual amount of CVEs fixed in January,” the report explained. “This comes on the heels of a record number of December patches and could be an ominous sign for patch levels in 2025.”

Microsoft said last year that it was making security its “top priority” and asked all of its employees to prioritize security work. In November, the software giant also announced new Windows security innovations to ensure that Windows remains “the most reliable and resilient open platform” for the company’s customers.