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CLEARWATER, Florida – Editor's Note: Links to patches for the security issue can be found at the bottom of this article.
A security vulnerability could make millions of people vulnerable to hackers.
The National Security Agency warns users of earlier versions of Microsoft Windows to make sure to update their operating system to protect themselves.
A bug called "BlueKeep" makes remote desktop services on some old operating systems vulnerable to cyber attacks. According to the NSA, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 RS are exposed.
Basically, the weakness of the operating system could allow a hacker to put malware on a computer and wreak havoc in a person's life.
"It's something that would allow the hacker to take full control of your computer, without you knowing it, to do things like turn on your webcam and watch or listen to you or read your email or do whatever they want. want, as if they were sitting on your computer, "said Brian Jack, head of information security at KnowBe4, a Clearwater-based company offering security awareness training. "You would have no idea of their presence."
Experts describe the flaw as "potentially vermifera", which means it could spread on the Internet without the victims doing anything.
"[It] allows the attacker to release the code in nature, and he will crawl and infect machines totally by himself – like a robot – without the hacker needing to take the machine and target whoever it is either, "Jack explained on his own, in a few hours you could have millions of infected machines.
Microsoft tells 10News that the problem only applies to versions of Windows that it no longer supports or will soon have. However, fearing that the exploit would be "exploitable", the technology company decided to release updates to protect its customers.
"This problem does not affect any of our operating systems published in the last 10 years," wrote a spokesman for Microsoft. "For users of Windows 7 or earlier, we released an update on May 14 to solve this problem. 2019, and recommends that they apply the update as soon as possible. "
The NSA said that the installation of the update was essential for the protection of national security systems, but also for all networks.
"Many organizations are still running some of the affected Windows server versions in production," said Jack. "So it could be really serious."
In fact, small businesses may not have updated their systems for years. Jack said that this could include organizations such as small banks, which may have ATMs that are at risk without this fix. On someone else's personal computer, Jack warns that hackers could enter and hold their files hostage or steal their financial information.
Microsoft said the problem did not affect Windows 10, including Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2012.
"We published a blog on May 14 and a second article on May 30 recalling the importance of updating affected systems as soon as possible," Microsoft told 10News.
Download the fixes for the "BlueKeep" flaw:
Click here for Windows XP, Server 2003 or Windows Vista
Click here for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
You can not see our patch installation tutorial "BlueKeep" from Microsoft Windows? Click here for a step-by-step video guide.
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