Microsoft rolled out an emergency patch to fix a critical print-spooler flaw on July 6, 2021. The vulnerability, known as PrintNightmare came into the spotlight last week. Microsoft published security updates on the MSRC website and has acknowledged the bug as critical.
The aforementioned vulnerability allows hackers to take control of any Windows system remotely and execute any code with administrator privileges. Subsequently, the bug, given the name CVE-2021-34527, is present in all Windows versions.
What Should I Do About It?
The emergency patch is rolled out via Windows Update. Likewise, all you need to do is check for an update on your system via Windows Update, and install any available updates. After Windows Update downloads the update, you will get a prompt with an option to restart your PC. Restart your PC, and you’re done.
Most importantly, We recommend that everyone installs this update. To clarify, hackers can install malicious programs, modify your system data, and do anything with full admin rights.
The “Nightmare” Isn’t Fully Over Yet
Microsoft released the patch for Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, and more Windows 10 builds. Above all, they even released the patch for Windows 7 which went EOL last year.
But, the scary part is that Microsoft didn’t roll out the patch for Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, and Windows 10 build 1607. This is a worrying situation as the last two are five years old and still in use by a majority of people.
Microsoft says the patch should roll out for these Windows versions “soon”. It’s quite risky if looked at from a bigger perspective.
We recommend everyone to run a Windows update to get rid of the flaw.
Did you get the patch in Windows Update? Let us know in the comments below.
