One email from the billions of Outlook and Windows users who were alerted to the Russian hack could wipe out their entire savings.
Outlook and Windows have both been issued critical security updates by MICROSOFT, which users should install immediately.
It has been reported that all supported versions of Outlook for Windows are vulnerable to the vulnerability that this update fixes.
1
One more lets malicious actors avoid Windows’ critical security measure, Microsoft SmartScreen.
According to CSO’s security experts, the Outlook flaw is the most worrisome because similar vulnerabilities have been exploited by Russian state-sponsored hackers.
The flaw has been rated as critical.
It makes it easy for hackers to launch a remote attack on a target device.
In a statement, Microsoft said, “The attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted email which triggers automatically when it is retrieved and processed by the Outlook client.”
Worryingly, opening the malicious email isn’t even necessary.
No action on the user’s part is required; the email can simply sit in their inbox and wait for a hacker to exploit a vulnerability in Outlook’s code.
CVE-2023-23397 is the official name for the serious Outlook vulnerability.
We expect CVE-2023-23397 to become one of the top vulnerabilities of 2023,” Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at security firm Tenable, told CSO.
A lot of experts are concerned that its ease of use will make it popular among cybercriminals.
Theft of sensitive data is a hacker’s dream come true, and unrestricted access to an individual’s inbox or even their entire device is a hacker’s zenith.
While Windows Update can be set to update automatically, you can verify the update on your PC by following the instructions below.
Before you try to force an update, you should back up your system or any files you deem particularly crucial.
Clicking the Start button is the first step you need to take to check for Windows updates.
Navigate to the Settings menu followed by the Updates and Security tab.
Here you should be able to select Windows Update.
If an update is available, you’ll be prompted to download it, and if it is, you won’t have to do a thing.
