Microsoft issues emergency patches for critical PrintNightmare security flaw
Microsoft has released a series of out of-band security patches for the PrintNightmare bug that was recently exposed. The remote code execution vulnerability exits in the Windows Print Spooler; it affects all versions of Windows, and the company is even offering patches for the unsupported Windows 7.
Previously, Microsoft had only been able to suggest workarounds to mitigate against the security problems, so it was left to 0patch to help out with a free bug-fix. But now patches are available for this serious security issue (CVE-2021-34527) that leaves systems at risk of attack.
See also:
- Security researchers accidentally leak PrintNightmare remote execution vulnerability in Windows print spooler
- Microsoft suggests workarounds for critical, unpatched PrintNightmare exploit
- 0patch comes to the rescue with free micropatches for Windows PrintNightmare vulnerability
Letting people know about the existence of the new patches, Microsoft's security team says: "Microsoft has completed the investigation and has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Please see the Security Updates table for the applicable update for your system. We recommend that you install these updates immediately. If you are unable to install these updates, see the FAQ and Workaround sections in this CVE for information on how to help protect your system from this vulnerability".
The importance of the patches is such that Microsoft is warning that they should be installed immediately.
However, in an update to the vulnerability advisory, the company also notes that not all patches are currently available:
CVE updated to announce that Microsoft is releasing an update for several versions of Window to address this vulnerability. Updates are not yet available for Windows 10 version 1607, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server 2012. Security updates for these versions of Windows will be released soon. Other information has been updated as well. This information will be updated when more information or updates are available.
For anyone running one of these unpatched versions of Windows, it's a good idea to follow the workaround advice from last week.
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