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schneierBruce SchneierSCHNEIER:CB553D932DAFD3781B29AD0FB9C289C4
HistoryDec 22, 2022 - 12:01 p.m.

Critical Microsoft Code-Execution Vulnerability

2022-12-2212:01:37
Bruce Schneier
www.schneier.com
31
microsoft
code-execution
vulnerability
windows
patched
cve-2022-37958
authentication
wormable
exploit
smb
protocol
security
disclosure
remote code execution

0.007 Low

EPSS

Percentile

79.8%

A critical code-execution vulnerability in Microsoft Windows was patched in September. It seems that researchers just realized how serious it was (and is):

> Like EternalBlue, CVE-2022-37958, as the latest vulnerability is tracked, allows attackers to execute malicious code with no authentication required. Also, like EternalBlue, it's wormable, meaning that a single exploit can trigger a chain reaction of self-replicating follow-on exploits on other vulnerable systems. The wormability of EternalBlue allowed WannaCry and several other attacks to spread across the world in a matter of minutes with no user interaction required.
>
> But unlike EternalBlue, which could be exploited when using only the SMB, or server message block, a protocol for file and printer sharing and similar network activities, this latest vulnerability is present in a much broader range of network protocols, giving attackers more flexibility than they had when exploiting the older vulnerability.
>
> […]
>
> Microsoft fixed CVE-2022-37958 in September during its monthly Patch Tuesday rollout of security fixes. At the time, however, Microsoft researchers believed the vulnerability allowed only the disclosure of potentially sensitive information. As such, Microsoft gave the vulnerability a designation of "important." In the routine course of analyzing vulnerabilities after they're patched, Palmiotti discovered it allowed for remote code execution in much the way EternalBlue did. Last week, Microsoft revised the designation to critical and gave it a severity rating of 8.1, the same given to EternalBlue.

0.007 Low

EPSS

Percentile

79.8%