Microsoft security bulletins go away next month

Security bulletins for Microsoft's operating systems and other software will no longer be issued from next month, to be replaced by the security updates guide (SUG) portal.

January 11 marked the date for the last set of bulletins, which have been published as individual web pages for the past 12 years. 

Microsoft's new SUG, currently in preview, will provide most of the security information via a dashboard. Once live, the company said the information in the SUG will be "on par with the set of details available in traditional security bulletins".

The SUG also provides a RESTful API for customers that log in with Microsoft TechNet or Live credentials. This allows customers to get security update information as a common vulnerability reporting framework (CVRF) format document, marked up as XML or JSON.

Patch management software such as Microsoft's Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and System Centre Configuration Manager will be updated to work with the SUG, Microsoft said. Third-party management tools will also need to be updated to function with the portal.

Microsoft will no longer use bulletin identifiers for documenting new security updates. Those released before February 14 2017 will however be maintained, the company said. Existing bulletin web pages will also remain available.

The changes were first announced last November, driven by customers wanting "better access to update information as well as easier ways to customise their view to serve a diverse set of needs", Microsoft said at the time.

Notifications for out-of-band security releases will continue to be issued, Microsoft said. It will also continue to publish security advisories as per the current model.