Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday pushed out a set of three updates to fix at least eight security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. The patches are available through Windows Update or via Automatic Updates. Easily the most critical update addresses an image processing flaw present in every supported version of Windows that could be exploited merely by tricking a Windows users into viewing a booby-trapped image on a Web site or sent via e-mail. According to Eric Schultze, chief technology officer for St. Paul, Minn., based Shavlik Technologies, attackers could use this flaw to install and run malicious software on a victim’s system even if the user wasn’t logged on using the all-powerful administrator account. “With system privileges, the evil code can access, copy, or delete any files on the system, create or delete user accounts, change passwords, or install backdoors,” Schultze said. “In other words, nasty