MICROSOFT released its first update of the year on Tuesday, fixing dozens of newly discovered bugs affecting its Windows products.
The 96 issues patched by the US tech titan include a “critical” Office vulnerability that can let attackers break into vulnerable systems remotely.
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The security flaw, tracked as CVE-2022-21840, is a type of bug known as a remote code execution (RCE), Microsoft revealed on its website.
It can be exploited by hackers by sending a malicious file to the target over email.
“An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted file to the user and convincing the user to open the file,” Microsoft explained.
Crooks could also take advantage of the flaw by crafting a fake website
“In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website … containing a specially crafted file designed to exploit the vulnerability,” Microsoft said.
It’s one of nearly 100 security bugs fixed by Microsoft as part of its first “Patch Tuesday” of 2022.
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Patch Tuesday is an unofficial term used to refer to when big tech firms such as Microsoft regularly release patches for their software.
Of the 96 vulnerabilities identified and resolved by the company, nine are rated “Critical” and 89 are rated Important.
Six are said to be publicly known, though Microsoft has not spotted hackers exploiting them in the wild.
Affected systems include the Windows operating system, Edge, Exchange Server, Office and Windows Defender.
Microsoft is urging users to update their software to the latest version to avoid leaving their PCs exposed to hackers.
As is standard industry practice, the firm has not gone into detail about how the vulnerabilities might be exploited.
This ensures that cybercrooks can’t take advantage of the flaws while Windows users worldwide receive the update over the coming days.
If you’re a Windows 10 user, your Windows PC will download most system updates automatically.
To be on the safe side, you can always update manually by opening the Start menu by clicking the icon in the bottom left corner of your display.
Click Settings and then head to Updates and Security. If an update is available, you’ll have the option to download it here.
Warning about FAKE Microsoft emails here are the red flags to watch to protect your device
In other news, scientists are embarking on a mission to unravel the mystery behind dozens of grisly child mummies buried in an underground tomb in Sicily.
Police have caught an Italian mafia henchman who’d be on the run for 20 years after spotting the fugitive on Google Maps.
One of the best-preserved fossils ever found has confirmed that young dinosaurs burst from their shells just like baby birds.
And, an eagle-eyed Reddit user has spotted a $2billion flying stealth bomber on Google Maps.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
