December’s Patch Tuesday brought a relatively modest set of updates, with at least one critical flaw that had already been exploited in the wild. Among the total of 70 vulnerabilities addressed, 16 have been prioritized as critical.
“This yr, cybersecurity professionals should be on Santa’s good listing, or, on the very least, Microsoft’s,” Tyler Reguly, affiliate director of safety R&D at cybersecurity software program and providers firm Fortra, advised TechRepublic in an electronic mail.
Microsoft patches leaky CLFS
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver, potentially allowing attackers to gain elevated access to a system. The transactional logging mechanism in Windows relies heavily on the driving force, allowing users to record and track changes made to system files and settings. The misuse of the motive force, specifically through inadequate bounds checking, poses a significant risk of granting an attacker SYSTEM-level privileges, thereby compromising system security and integrity. Without proper security measures in place, hackers from there may potentially steal sensitive information or establish clandestine access points.
“Given that CLFS is a ubiquitous component across various Windows versions, including servers and consumer installations, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to enterprise environments, according to Mike Walters, president and co-founder of Action1, who noted this in an email to TechRepublic.”
Given the severity of this vulnerability and its previous exploitation, addressing it must take top priority?
Microsoft has released patches for eight distinct Cloud Log File System (CLFS) vulnerabilities this year, as reported by Reguly.
Despite this, Microsoft has made progress by patching 12 CLFS vulnerabilities in 2022 and 10 more in 2023, according to Reguly’s report.
As vulnerabilities go, this one’s a real doozy.
One critical vulnerability was identified, with a CVSS score exceeding 9 and specifically rated as CVSS 9.8, indicating an extremely high level of severity. A potentially serious remote code execution vulnerability exists in Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) services, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.
“It is crucial to note that Windows Server installations functioning as Domain Controllers (DCs), due to their critical role in managing directory services, pose a heightened threat,” said Walters.
As the calendar flips to December, it’s an opportune moment to address the critical issue of patching vulnerabilities and reinforcing fundamental best practices: ensuring area controllers do not have open web access, thereby maintaining a high level of cybersecurity hygiene? Firms subject to the Department of Defense’s DISA STIG guidelines for Live Listing Domains are expected to have proactively isolated block area controllers from internet connectivity.
Famous are the December vulnerabilities, with a staggering nine stemming from concerns over distant code execution potential.
“Companies should strictly prohibit direct access to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) services over the internet and institute robust security measures to minimize vulnerabilities.” “These vulnerabilities further highlight the perils of failing to secure RDP.”
“If nothing else, one thing remains certain: Microsoft’s consistency is unwavering.” While a steady decline in vulnerabilities would be most welcome, we must acknowledge that consistency in their frequency can still provide valuable insight into what we might reasonably expect. Given the rise of Microsoft’s cloud computing capabilities, we may witness these numbers declining even earlier.
It’s time to test our patch management strategy on Apple devices, Google Chrome browsers, and various systems after applying the latest Patch Tuesday security updates.
Firms often synchronize their monthly software updates to coincide with the second Tuesday of every month. Provided a comprehensive list of essential safety enhancements. The following main patches, compiled by , encompass:
- Security updates have been issued to address vulnerabilities in both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.
- A proactive replacement solution has been developed to address more than 100 instances of Cisco devices utilizing the NX-OS data-centric operating system.
- Multiple fixes for native privilege escalation vulnerabilities in Linux have been implemented to enhance system security and prevent unauthorized access.
- Apple releases patches for two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Macs with Intel chips.
The complete list of Windows security updates can be found at https://.
