Windows 10 critical vulnerabilities - NSA warn and urge to install security patch windows 10
On January 14, 2020, Microsoft released software fixes to address 49 vulnerabilities as part of their monthly Patch Tuesday announcement. Among the vulnerabilities patched were critical weaknesses in Windows CryptoAPI, Windows Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway), and Windows Remote Desktop Client. An attacker could remotely exploit these vulnerabilities to decrypt, modify, or inject data on user connections:
The updates fixes a serious flaw in the core cryptographic component of widely used Windows 10, Server 2016 and 2019 editions that was discovered and reported to the company by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States
The flaw, dubbed 'NSACrypt' and tracked as CVE-2020-0601, resides in the Crypt32.dll module that contains various 'Certificate and Cryptographic Messaging functions' used by the Windows Crypto API for handling encryption and decryption of data.
A cyber attacker could exploit CVE-2020-0601 to obtain sensitive information, such as financial information, or run malware on a targeted system; for example:
A maliciously crafted certificate could appear to be issued for a hostname that did not authorize it, preventing a browser that relies on Windows CryptoAPI from validating its authenticity and issuing warnings. If the certificate impersonates a user’s bank website, their financial information could be exposed. Signed malware can bypass protections (e.g., antivirus) that only run applications with valid signatures. Malicious files, emails, and executables can appear legitimate to unpatched users.
Besides Windows CryptoAPI spoofing vulnerability that has been rated 'important' in severity, Microsoft has also patched 48 other vulnerabilities, 8 of which are critical and rest all 40 are important.
It is strongly suggested that you patch this as soon as possible by heading on to your Windows Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update → clicking 'Check for updates on your PC.
The updates fixes a serious flaw in the core cryptographic component of widely used Windows 10, Server 2016 and 2019 editions that was discovered and reported to the company by the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States
The flaw, dubbed 'NSACrypt' and tracked as CVE-2020-0601, resides in the Crypt32.dll module that contains various 'Certificate and Cryptographic Messaging functions' used by the Windows Crypto API for handling encryption and decryption of data.
A cyber attacker could exploit CVE-2020-0601 to obtain sensitive information, such as financial information, or run malware on a targeted system; for example:
A maliciously crafted certificate could appear to be issued for a hostname that did not authorize it, preventing a browser that relies on Windows CryptoAPI from validating its authenticity and issuing warnings. If the certificate impersonates a user’s bank website, their financial information could be exposed. Signed malware can bypass protections (e.g., antivirus) that only run applications with valid signatures. Malicious files, emails, and executables can appear legitimate to unpatched users.
Besides Windows CryptoAPI spoofing vulnerability that has been rated 'important' in severity, Microsoft has also patched 48 other vulnerabilities, 8 of which are critical and rest all 40 are important.
It is strongly suggested that you patch this as soon as possible by heading on to your Windows Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update → clicking 'Check for updates on your PC.
