IE's Flash problem was communication not security, but there are reasons why Flash updates might sometimes take longer. The bigger question is how long Flash stays around.
Microsoft has now made it clear that saying that the version of Flash included with IE10 in Windows 8 RTM wouldn't get updated until October was indeed a mistake, courtesy of some crossed wires and internal communication problems.
The Flash update should be on your system by now if you use Automatic Updates. And no, you won't have to wait for the monthly Patch Tuesday release to get any further Flash updates; if an update for Flash comes along between the usual quarterly update schedule for Flash or the usual monthly update schedule for IE, Microsoft will push it out as soon as it's ready (like it put out a fix on Friday for the latest zero day vulnerability in IE9).
The wording of "this may mean that in some cases we will issue updates outside of our regular monthly security bulletin release" isn't quite as strong as we'd like it to be, but it is typical cautious security speak rather than marketing fluff and on balance, that's perhaps more reassuring.
Read more at source:
Why Flash updates might need to be delayed for IE, at least briefly | ZDNet
