Microsoft Issues Urgent Warning: Update Your PC Immediately
The security flaw, known as “PrintNightmare”, affects the Windows Print Spooler service in all versions of Windows.
Microsoft is urging all Windows users to immediately install an update after a serious system exploit was found by researchers.
The vulnerability is known as “PrintNightmare”. It affects the Windows Print Spooler service, according to CNN.
Sangfor Security researchers accidentally published a “how-to” guide for exploiting the Windows Print Spooler service, thus putting the exploit into the hands of bad actors.
Microsoft has issued out-of-band security updates to address the exploit and rated it as critical. While the vulnerability remains unpatched, attackers can remotely execute code with system-level privileges on Windows computers.
According to Microsoft…
“An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights…
“We recommend that you install these updates immediately,” says Microsoft. “The security updates released on and after July 6, 2021, contain protections for CVE-2021-1675 and the additional remote code execution exploit in the Windows Print Spooler service known as ‘PrintNightmare’, documented in CVE-2021-34527…”
Because of the seriousness of the PrintNightmare exploit, Microsoft is making these critical updates available for Windows 7, Windows 8, and all supported and unsupported versions of Windows 10
Read more about “PrintNightmare” here.
Afterword:
Someone commented we published the wrong KB number. We published the CVE. CVE number is different from the KB number. The KB number for the “PrintNightmare” patch is KB5004945.
Many people were asking about download links, please visit this page to see how to check for pending updates and view installed updates.
Is there a download link to this? I didn’t quite understand it all.
i agree where is the update link ??
See this page…
See this page…
This sounds serious. How do I update and where do I go to update? Help
See this page…
This sounds ominous.
Advice for what we need to do in layman’s terms would be very helpful.
See this page…
Go to settings, update & security – on the right hand menu scroll down to view update history, click on it and look for update – KB504945. Hope this helps. Harry
I agree I have checked all over (the advice above does not work for me.
Can we please have more information and a link
Thanks
See this page.
The number for the update is incorrect. It is KB5004945 – it was installed 7/7/21 on my computer….
The number in the article was not the KB number it was the CVE number. CVE is short for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, It is a list of publicly disclosed computer security flaws. When someone refers to a CVE, they mean a security flaw that’s been assigned a CVE ID number. Security advisories issued by vendors and researchers always mention at least one CVE ID.
I checked my settings and it was there, already downloaded and just required a restart. That was of this morning 7/8/21.
My update was also there.
Hi Everyone, I wrote to Cloudeight about my Printer Spool problems back in Jan.. 2021. I believe problem came with an update in Nov or Dec 2020. TC wrote back saying many things could cause printer problems so he advised to uninstall and then reinstall the printet. This did not correct the problem. He also said contact Microsoft about this. Microsoft never answered me but I see enough complaints must have come in making them look for a solution. After every print job I have to go into Printer Spool and clear the item I just printed. This is a pain when you forget to clear and then few days later printer won’t print or when doing a 2 page printing job like when making cards. I hope this update fixes the problem. I will let you know.
Thought I would give you the update. The Printer Spool update was there and downloaded and installed with no one problem. My Spool problem was not corrected (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t). It’s probably the printer, getting up there in years like me, sometimes I work, sometimes I don’t. Lol!
Back to the update, definitely install. Thank you Cloudeight for keeping up on the breaking news covering computers and their software. Where would we be without you, up the creek with no paddle.😘😷
TC,
I enquired re black screen after feature update. Problem is solved. Computer back to normal.
Thanks for being there for us.
Jean
Mine says “pending install”. What should I do, if anything?
My updates say up to date (checked manually as well more than once) but I don’t see the update in my history. Wondering if you would be able to shed any light for me pls?
Cheers