Technology giant Microsoft this week released an unprecedented number of security updates for its systems, such as Windows and Office, highlighting that artificial intelligence was crucial in identifying these flaws in its codes.

On Tuesday, the company, known for its technology and cloud solutions, released patches for 570 security flaws. This round is part of your routine monthly update, popularly known by security experts as “Patch Tuesday.”

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Among the fixes, at least two vulnerabilities were classified as “zero-day”, a term that designates flaws already exploited by criminals before being discovered by the company. One of these flaws, which affects Windows Server, would allow hackers to elevate their privileges, turning a regular user into a system administrator. Another significant breach has hit file-sharing server SharePoint, with US government cybersecurity agency CISA warning of its active exploitation to compromise organizations.

This robust batch of security updates comes a week after Microsoft anticipated, through an official blog post, that the volume of monthly security patches would be considerably higher than standard. The company highlighted that the use of artificial intelligence has been fundamental in helping its engineers identify hitherto unknown security flaws in their programs.

Pavan Davuluri, head of the Windows sector at the company, commented on the news, explaining that “as AI helps security experts identify more problems, consumers will see an increased volume of security updates inserted in each version released”.

With the advancement and specialization of artificial intelligence models in cybersecurity, researchers are now using these tools to uncover vulnerabilities that could have remained hidden for long periods in software code. It is worth noting that sections of the Windows source code, for example, are decades old, a context that highlights the ongoing challenge of security and the ability of AI to optimize the detection of complex threats.