Microsoft has released information about a critical vulnerability in the Windows operating system (CVE-2019-0708).
The vulnerability allows remote code execution by an attacker directly from the network using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in remote desktop services that affects older versions of Windows used by many users worldwide.
Check Point warns that the attack could potentially affect many computers in every sector and industry including finance, healthcare, government, retail, industrials and others.
The vulnerability means that an arbitrary attacker from the Internet can carry out a complete takeover of a private PC within public networks, such as WiFi hotspots.
Embedded devices such as ATMs or IoT devices are most vulnerable for takeover, although PCs within organisations’ networks are also vulnerable to a takeover using lateral movement within the network.
Because the vulnerability is placed at the pre-authentication stage and does not require any user interaction it would allow any arbitrary attacker on the internet to execute malicious code on a victim’s private system and allow for a total takeover of a PC within any network, such as WiFi hotspots, public networks and private and corporate networks.
According to Microsoft, in order to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to send a specially tailored request to the target systems’ Remote Desktop Service via RDP. Given the nature of the vulnerability, once a host is infected there is great risk of lateral movement to infect other connected hosts on the same network.
Check Point advises that those using certain versions of Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 are at risk from this vulnerability. Customers running Windows 8 and Windows 10 are not affected by this vulnerability due to these later versions incorporating more secure updates.
Those most at risk, among others, are those working with embedded devices such as ATMs in the banking sector and IoT devices in the healthcare industry. This is due to older versions of Windows known to be the systems behind these operations as well as them being prized targets for cyber criminals. As a result, since this vulnerability was announced, security professionals in hospitals and banks have been working diligently to patch their systems.