Microsoft has updated Flash on Windows 8 to protect IE10 users from attacks. The company had been planning not to patch Flash media player until late October but rolled out the upgrade sooner.

Redmond is responsible for patching Flash Player in Windows 8 because Microsoft built the software into IE10. The idea was to make updating Flash through Windows Update, like IE, we make security more convenient for customers.

Adobe shipped a pair of security updates in August that patched eight vulnerabilities. Windows 8 RTM, the finished code that began reaching users that same month, lacked those fixes.

One of the eight Flash bugs has been exploited by hackers, perhaps for months. The Flash update will be offered to Windows 8 RTM, and to the final public beta, Windows 8 Release Preview.