If you haven’t run updates on your Windows partitions recently, now would be a good time to do so.
As of Wednesday, Microsoft urged all Windows users to immediately install an update after security researchers found a serious vulnerability in the operating system.
The security flaw, known as “PrintNightmare,” affects the Windows Print Spooler service. Researchers at cybersecurity company Sangfor accidentally published a how-to guide for exploiting it.
Researchers at Sangfor tweeted in late May that they had discovered vulnerabilities in Print Spooler which could allow multiple users to access a printer. The group published a proof-of-concept guide online by mistake, and although they subsequently deleted it, the guide had been published elsewhere online, including to developer website GitHub.
Microsoft has since issued a warning that hackers that exploit the vulnerability could install programs, view and delete data or even create new user accounts with full user rights. That gives hackers enough command and control of your PC to do some serious damage.
The exploit affects not only Windows 10, but apparently Windows 7 as well. Patches for Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 version 1607, and Windows Server 2021 are “expected soon,” according to Microsoft.
“We recommend that you install these updates immediately,” the company said.
Notably, Microsoft hasn’t released a patch for Windows 11. Its newest operating system, due out soon, is currently available to beta testers.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via CNN, Microsoft, and @edwardzpeng