{"checkpoint_advisories": [{"lastseen": "2022-02-16T19:38:06", "description": "An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Windows. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system.", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 7.8, "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-12T00:00:00", "type": "checkpoint_advisories", "title": "Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service Privilege Escalation (CVE-2021-36948)", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 6.4, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-12T00:00:00", "id": "CPAI-2021-0508", "href": "", "cvss": {"score": 4.6, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "cisa_kev": [{"lastseen": "2022-08-10T17:26:47", "description": "Windows Update Medic Service Privilege Escalation Vulnerability", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "baseScore": 7.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-11-03T00:00:00", "type": "cisa_kev", "title": "Microsoft Windows Update Medic Service Privilege Escalation Vulnerability", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 6.4, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-11-03T00:00:00", "id": "CISA-KEV-CVE-2021-36948", "href": "", "cvss": {"score": 4.6, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "cve": [{"lastseen": "2023-02-09T14:26:37", "description": "Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "baseScore": 7.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-12T18:15:00", "type": "cve", "title": "CVE-2021-36948", "cwe": ["CWE-269"], "bulletinFamily": "NVD", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 6.4, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-20T18:58:00", "cpe": ["cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_10:2004", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_10:1809", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_10:21h1", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:2004", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_10:1909", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_10:20h2", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:20h2", "cpe:/o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:-"], "id": "CVE-2021-36948", "href": "https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2021-36948", "cvss": {"score": 4.6, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}, "cpe23": ["cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:20h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:21h1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:2004:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1909:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:20h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:2004:*:*:*:*:*:*:*"]}], "attackerkb": [{"lastseen": "2021-11-27T04:46:46", "description": "Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability\n\n \n**Recent assessments:** \n \nAssessed Attacker Value: 0 \nAssessed Attacker Value: 0Assessed Attacker Value: 0\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 7.8, "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-12T00:00:00", "type": "attackerkb", "title": "CVE-2021-36948", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 6.4, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-21T00:00:00", "id": "AKB:D92D1688-7724-40C4-AD86-DF44F4611D40", "href": "https://attackerkb.com/topics/aTP6m1u6PE/cve-2021-36948", "cvss": {"score": 4.6, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "mskb": [{"lastseen": "2022-08-24T11:34:46", "description": "None\n**6/15/21 \nIMPORTANT **This release includes the Flash Removal Package. Taking this update will remove Adobe Flash from the machine. For more information, see the [Update on Adobe Flash Player End of Support](<https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2020/09/04/update-adobe-flash-end-support/>).\n\n**11/19/20** \nFor information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the [types of Windows updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/deployment/standard-terminology-software-updates>) and the [monthly quality update types](<https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/windows-quality-updates-primer/ba-p/2569385>). To view other notes and messages, see the Windows 10, version 1909 update history home page. **Note **Follow [@WindowsUpdate](<https://twitter.com/windowsupdate>) to find out when new content is published to the release information dashboard.\n\n## Highlights\n\n * Updates the default installation privilege requirement so that you must be an administrator to install drivers when using [Point and Print](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/introduction-to-point-and-print>). \n\n## Improvements and fixes\n\nThis security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:\n\n * Changes the default privilege requirement for installing drivers when using Point and Print. After installing this update, you must have administrative privileges to install drivers. If you use Point and Print, see [KB5005652](<https://support.microsoft.com/topic/873642bf-2634-49c5-a23b-6d8e9a302872>), [Point and Print Default Behavior Change](<https://aka.ms/PointPrintMSRCBlog>), and [CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>) for more information. \nIf you installed earlier updates, only the new fixes contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the new [Security Update Guide](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide>) website.\n\n**Windows Update Improvements**Microsoft has released an update directly to the Windows Update client to improve reliability. Any device running Windows 10 configured to receive updates automatically from Windows Update, including Enterprise and Pro editions, will be offered the latest Windows 10 feature update based on device compatibility and Windows Update for Business deferral policy. This doesn't apply to long-term servicing editions.\n\n## Known issues in this update\n\n**Symptom**| **Workaround** \n---|--- \nAfter installing this update, the Encrypted File System (EFS) API [OpenEncryptedFileRaw(A/W)](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-openencryptedfilerawa>), often used in backup software, will not work when you back up to or from a Windows Server 2008 SP2 device. OpenEncryptedFileRaw will continue to work on all other versions of Windows (local and remote).| This behavior is expected because we addressed the issue in CVE-2021-36942.**Note** If you cannot use backup software on Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1 or later after installing this update, contact the manufacturer of your backup software for updates and support. \n \n## How to get this update\n\n**Before installing this update**Prerequisite:You **must **install the July 13, 2021 servicing stack update (SSU) (KB5004748) or the latest SSU (KB5005412) before installing the latest cumulative update (LCU). SSUs improve the reliability of the update process to mitigate potential issues while installing the LCU and applying Microsoft security fixes. For general information about SSUs, see [Servicing stack updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/servicing-stack-updates>) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.If you are using Windows Update, the latest SSU will be offered to you automatically. To get the standalone package for the latest SSU, search for it in the [Microsoft Update Catalog](<https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/home.aspx>).**Install this update****Release Channel**| **Available**| **Next Step** \n---|---|--- \nWindows Update and Microsoft Update| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update. \nWindows Update for Business| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update in accordance with configured policies. \nMicrosoft Update Catalog| Yes| To get the standalone package for this update, go to the [Microsoft Update Catalog](<https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5005031>) website. \nWindows Server Update Services (WSUS)| Yes| This update will automatically sync with WSUS if you configure **Products and Classifications** as follows:**Product**: Windows 10, version 1903 and later**Classification**: Security Updates \n**File information**For a list of the files that are provided in this update, download the [file information for cumulative update 5005031](<https://download.microsoft.com/download/5/9/0/5901bffe-66e8-4289-9077-b87ae1af9813/5005031.csv>). \n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "baseScore": 7.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "type": "mskb", "title": "August 10, 2021\u2014KB5005031 (OS Build 18363.1734)", "bulletinFamily": "microsoft", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 5.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 2.9, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "id": "KB5005031", "href": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5005031", "cvss": {"score": 5.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N"}}, {"lastseen": "2023-03-15T10:46:54", "description": "None\n**6/15/21 \nIMPORTANT **This release includes the Flash Removal Package. Taking this update will remove Adobe Flash from the machine. For more information, see the [Update on Adobe Flash Player End of Support](<https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2020/09/04/update-adobe-flash-end-support/>).\n\n**11/17/20**For information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the [types of Windows updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/deployment/standard-terminology-software-updates>) and the [monthly quality update types](<https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/windows-quality-updates-primer/ba-p/2569385>). To view other notes and messages, see the Windows 10, version 2004 update history [home page](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4555932>). **Note **Follow [@WindowsUpdate](<https://twitter.com/windowsupdate>) to find out when new content is published to the release information dashboard.\n\n## Highlights\n\n * Updates the default installation privilege requirement so that you must be an administrator to install drivers when using [Point and Print](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/introduction-to-point-and-print>). \n\n## Improvements and fixes\n\n**Note **To view the list of addressed issues, click or tap the OS name to expand the collapsible section.\n\n### \n\n__\n\nWindows 10, version 21H1\n\nThis security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:\n\n * This build includes all the improvements from Windows 10, version 2004.\n * No additional issues were documented for this release.\n\n### \n\n__\n\nWindows 10, version 20H2\n\nThis security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:\n\n * This build includes all the improvements from Windows 10, version 2004.\n * No additional issues were documented for this release.\n\n### \n\n__\n\nWindows 10, version 2004\n\n**Note: **This release also contains updates for Microsoft HoloLens (OS Build 19041.1159) released August 10, 2021. Microsoft will release an update directly to the Windows Update Client to improve Windows Update reliability on Microsoft HoloLens that have not updated to this most recent OS Build.\n\nThis security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:\n\n * Changes the default privilege requirement for installing drivers when using Point and Print. After installing this update, you must have administrative privileges to install drivers. If you use Point and Print, see [KB5005652](<https://support.microsoft.com/topic/873642bf-2634-49c5-a23b-6d8e9a302872>), [Point and Print Default Behavior Change](<https://aka.ms/PointPrintMSRCBlog>), and [CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>) for more information.\nIf you installed earlier updates, only the new fixes contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the new [Security Update Guide](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide>) website.\n\n**Windows Update Improvements**Microsoft has released an update directly to the Windows Update client to improve reliability. Any device running Windows 10 configured to receive updates automatically from Windows Update, including Enterprise and Pro editions, will be offered the latest Windows 10 feature update based on device compatibility and Windows Update for Business deferral policy. This doesn't apply to long-term servicing editions.\n\n### Windows 10 servicing stack update - 19041.1161, 19042.1161, and 19043.1161\n\n * This update makes quality improvements to the servicing stack, which is the component that installs Windows updates. Servicing stack updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable servicing stack so that your devices can receive and install Microsoft updates.\n\n## Known issues in this update\n\n### \n\n__\n\nClick or tap to view the known issues\n\n**Symptom**| **Workaround** \n---|--- \nWhen using the Microsoft Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) to enter Kanji characters in an app that automatically allows the input of Furigana characters, you might not get the correct Furigana characters. You might need to enter the Furigana characters manually.**Note **The affected apps are using the **ImmGetCompositionString()** function.| This issue is resolved in KB5005101. \nDevices with Windows installations created from custom offline media or custom ISO image might have [Microsoft Edge Legacy](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/what-is-microsoft-edge-legacy-3e779e55-4c55-08e6-ecc8-2333768c0fb0>) removed by this update, but not automatically replaced by the new Microsoft Edge. This issue is only encountered when custom offline media or ISO images are created by slipstreaming this update into the image without having first installed the standalone servicing stack update (SSU) released March 29, 2021 or later.**Note **Devices that connect directly to Windows Update to receive updates are not affected. This includes devices using Windows Update for Business. Any device connecting to Windows Update should always receive the latest versions of the SSU and latest cumulative update (LCU) without any extra steps. | To avoid this issue, be sure to first slipstream the SSU released March 29, 2021 or later into the custom offline media or ISO image before slipstreaming the LCU. To do this with the combined SSU and LCU packages now used for Windows 10, version 20H2 and Windows 10, version 2004, you will need to extract the SSU from the combined package. Use the following steps to extract the SSU:\n\n 1. Extract the cab from the msu via this command line (using the package for KB5000842 as an example): **expand Windows10.0-KB5000842-x64.msu /f:Windows10.0-KB5000842-x64.cab <destination path>**\n 2. Extract the SSU from the previously extracted cab via this command line: **expand Windows10.0-KB5000842-x64.cab /f:* <destination path>**\n 3. You will then have the SSU cab, in this example named **SSU-19041.903-x64.cab**. Slipstream this file into your offline image first, then the LCU.\nIf you have already encountered this issue by installing the OS using affected custom media, you can mitigate it by directly installing the [new Microsoft Edge](<https://www.microsoft.com/edge>). If you need to broadly deploy the new Microsoft Edge for business, see [Download and deploy Microsoft Edge for business](<https://www.microsoft.com/edge/business/download>). \nAfter installing the June 21, 2021 (KB5003690) update, some devices cannot install new updates, such as the July 6, 2021 (KB5004945) or later updates. You will receive the error message, \"PSFX_E_MATCHING_BINARY_MISSING\".| For more information and a workaround, see KB5005322. \nAfter installing this update, the Encrypted File System (EFS) API [OpenEncryptedFileRaw(A/W)](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-openencryptedfilerawa>), often used in backup software, will not work when you back up to or from a Windows Server 2008 SP2 device. OpenEncryptedFileRaw will continue to work on all other versions of Windows (local and remote).| This behavior is expected because we addressed the issue in CVE-2021-36942.**Note** If you cannot use backup software on Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1 or later after installing this update, contact the manufacturer of your backup software for updates and support. \n \n## How to get this update\n\n**Before installing this update**Microsoft now combines the latest servicing stack update (SSU) for your operating system with the latest cumulative update (LCU). For general information about SSUs, see [Servicing stack updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/servicing-stack-updates>) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.Prerequisite:For Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) deployment or when installing the standalone package from Microsoft Update Catalog:If your devices do not have the May 11, 2021 update (KB5003173) or later LCU, you **must **install the special standalone August 10, 2021 SSU (KB5005260).**Install this update****Release Channel**| **Available**| **Next Step** \n---|---|--- \nWindows Update and Microsoft Update| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update. \nWindows Update for Business| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update in accordance with configured policies. \nMicrosoft Update Catalog| Yes| To get the standalone package for this update, go to the [Microsoft Update Catalog](<https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5005033>) website. \nWindows Server Update Services (WSUS)| Yes| This update will automatically sync with WSUS if you configure **Products and Classifications** as follows:**Product**: Windows 10, version 1903 and later**Classification**: Security Updates \n \n**If you want to remove the LCU**To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the [DISM/Remove-Package](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/dism-operating-system-package-servicing-command-line-options>) command line option with the LCU package name as the argument. You can find the package name by using this command: **DISM /online /get-packages**.Running [Windows Update Standalone Installer](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/description-of-the-windows-update-standalone-installer-in-windows-799ba3df-ec7e-b05e-ee13-1cdae8f23b19>) (**wusa.exe**) with the **/uninstall **switch on the combined package will not work because the combined package contains the SSU. You cannot remove the SSU from the system after installation.\n\n**File information**For a list of the files that are provided in this update, download the [file information for cumulative update 5005033](<https://download.microsoft.com/download/1/e/e/1eeb7268-cb6a-4865-a98b-9c51f0ec7beb/5005033.csv>). For a list of the files that are provided in the servicing stack update, download the [file information for the SSU - version 19041.1161, 19042.1161, and 19043.1161](<https://download.microsoft.com/download/f/7/4/f74513f3-7838-4538-89f5-8be86d571826/SSU_version_19041_1161.csv>). \n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "baseScore": 7.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "type": "mskb", "title": "August 10, 2021\u2014KB5005033 (OS Builds 19041.1165, 19042.1165, and 19043.1165)", "bulletinFamily": "microsoft", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 5.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 2.9, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "id": "KB5005033", "href": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5005033", "cvss": {"score": 5.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N"}}, {"lastseen": "2023-03-15T10:46:53", "description": "None\n**6/15/21 \nIMPORTANT **This release includes the Flash Removal Package. Taking this update will remove Adobe Flash from the machine. For more information, see the [Update on Adobe Flash Player End of Support](<https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2020/09/04/update-adobe-flash-end-support/>).\n\n**11/17/20** \nFor information about Windows update terminology, see the article about the [types of Windows updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/deployment/standard-terminology-software-updates>) and the [monthly quality update types](<https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-it-pro-blog/windows-quality-updates-primer/ba-p/2569385>). To view other notes and messages, see the Windows 10, version 1809 update history home page.\n\n**Note **This release also contains updates for Microsoft HoloLens (OS Build 17763.2114) released August 10, 2021. Microsoft will release an update directly to the Windows Update Client to improve Windows Update reliability on Microsoft HoloLens that have not updated to this most recent OS Build.\n\n## Highlights\n\n * Updates the default installation privilege requirement so that you must be an administrator to install drivers when using [Point and Print](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/introduction-to-point-and-print>). \n\n## Improvements and fixes\n\nThis security update includes quality improvements. Key changes include:\n\n * Changes the default privilege requirement for installing drivers when using Point and Print. After installing this update, you must have administrative privileges to install drivers. If you use Point and Print, see [KB5005652](<https://support.microsoft.com/topic/873642bf-2634-49c5-a23b-6d8e9a302872>), [Point and Print Default Behavior Change](<https://aka.ms/PointPrintMSRCBlog>), and [CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>) for more information.\nIf you installed earlier updates, only the new fixes contained in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device.For more information about the resolved security vulnerabilities, please refer to the new [Security Update Guide](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide>) website.\n\n**Windows Update Improvements**Microsoft has released an update directly to the Windows Update client to improve reliability. Any device running Windows 10 configured to receive updates automatically from Windows Update, including Enterprise and Pro editions, will be offered the latest Windows 10 feature update based on device compatibility and Windows Update for Business deferral policy. This doesn't apply to long-term servicing editions.\n\n## Known issues in this update\n\n### \n\n__\n\nClick or tap to view the known issues\n\n**Symptom**| **Workaround** \n---|--- \nAfter installing KB4493509, devices with some Asian language packs installed may receive the error, \"0x800f0982 - PSFX_E_MATCHING_COMPONENT_NOT_FOUND.\"| This issue is addressed by updates released June 11, 2019 and later. We recommend you install the latest security updates for your device. Customers installing Windows Server 2019 using media should install the latest [Servicing Stack Update (SSU)](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/deployment/update/servicing-stack-updates>) before installing the language pack or other optional components. If using the [Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC)](<https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/default.aspx>), acquire the latest Windows Server 2019 media available. The proper order of installation is as follows:\n\n 1. Install the latest prerequisite SSU, currently [KB5005112](<https://support.microsoft.com/help/5005112>)\n 2. Install optional components or language packs\n 3. Install latest cumulative update\n**Note** Updating your device will prevent this issue, but will have no effect on devices already affected by this issue. If this issue is present in your device, you will need to use the workaround steps to repair it.**Workaround:**\n\n 1. Uninstall and reinstall any recently added language packs. For instructions, see [Manage the input and display language settings in Windows 10](<https://support.microsoft.com/windows/manage-the-input-and-display-language-settings-in-windows-12a10cb4-8626-9b77-0ccb-5013e0c7c7a2>).\n 2. Click **Check for Updates **and install the April 2019 Cumulative Update or later. For instructions, see [Update Windows 10](<https://support.microsoft.com/windows/update-windows-3c5ae7fc-9fb6-9af1-1984-b5e0412c556a>).\n**Note **If reinstalling the language pack does not mitigate the issue, use the In-Place-Upgrade feature. For guidance, see [How to do an in-place upgrade on Windows](<https://docs.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/windows-server/deployment/repair-or-in-place-upgrade>), and [Perform an in-place upgrade of Windows Server](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/get-started/perform-in-place-upgrade>). \nAfter installing KB5001342 or later, the Cluster Service might fail to start because a Cluster Network Driver is not found.| This issue occurs because of an update to the PnP class drivers used by this service. After about 20 minutes, you should be able to restart your device and not encounter this issue. \nFor more information about the specific errors, cause, and workaround for this issue, please see KB5003571. \nAfter installing this update, the Encrypted File System (EFS) API [OpenEncryptedFileRaw(A/W)](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winbase/nf-winbase-openencryptedfilerawa>), often used in backup software, will not work when you back up to or from a Windows Server 2008 SP2 device. OpenEncryptedFileRaw will continue to work on all other versions of Windows (local and remote).| This behavior is expected because we addressed the issue in CVE-2021-36942.**Note** If you cannot use backup software on Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1 or later after installing this update, contact the manufacturer of your backup software for updates and support. \nAfter installing updates released April 22, 2021 or later, an issue occurs that affects versions of Windows Server that are in use as a Key Management Services (KMS) host. Client devices running Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016 might fail to activate. This issue only occurs when using a new Customer Support Volume License Key (CSVLK). **Note** This does not affect activation of any other version or edition of Windows. Client devices that are attempting to activate and are affected by this issue might receive the error, \"Error: 0xC004F074. The Software Licensing Service reported that the computer could not be activated. No Key Management Service (KMS) could be contacted. Please see the Application Event Log for additional information.\"Event Log entries related to activation are another way to tell that you might be affected by this issue. Open **Event Viewer **on the client device that failed activation and go to **Windows Logs **> **Application**. If you see only event ID 12288 without a corresponding event ID 12289, this means one of the following:\n\n * The KMS client could not reach the KMS host.\n * The KMS host did not respond.\n * The client did not receive the response.\nFor more information on these event IDs, see [Useful KMS client events - Event ID 12288 and Event ID 12289](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-server/get-started/activation-troubleshoot-kms-general#event-id-12288-and-event-id-12289>).| This issue is resolved in KB5009616. \n \n## How to get this update\n\n**Before installing this update**Prerequisite:You **must **install the May 11, 2021 servicing stack update (SSU) (KB5003243) or the latest SSU (KB5005112) before installing the latest cumulative update (LCU). SSUs improve the reliability of the update process to mitigate potential issues while installing the LCU and applying Microsoft security fixes. For general information about SSUs, see [Servicing stack updates](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/update/servicing-stack-updates>) and Servicing Stack Updates (SSU): Frequently Asked Questions.If you are using Windows Update, the latest SSU will be offered to you automatically. To get the standalone package for the latest SSU, search for it in the [Microsoft Update Catalog](<http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/home.aspx>).**Install this update****Release Channel**| **Available**| **Next Step** \n---|---|--- \nWindows Update and Microsoft Update| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update. \nWindows Update for Business| Yes| None. This update will be downloaded and installed automatically from Windows Update in accordance with configured policies. \nMicrosoft Update Catalog| Yes| To get the standalone package for this update, go to the [Microsoft Update Catalog](<https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB5005030>) website. \nWindows Server Update Services (WSUS)| Yes| This update will automatically sync with WSUS if you configure **Products and Classifications** as follows:**Product**: Windows 10**Classification**: Security Updates \n**File information**For a list of the files that are provided in this update, download the [file information for cumulative update 5005030](<https://download.microsoft.com/download/3/f/c/3fc996a5-7267-4a7c-9a5b-83ade06204dc/5005030.csv>).\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "baseScore": 7.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "type": "mskb", "title": "August 10, 2021\u2014KB5005030 (OS Build 17763.2114)", "bulletinFamily": "microsoft", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "NONE", "availabilityImpact": "NONE", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 5.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 2.9, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-10T07:00:00", "id": "KB5005030", "href": "https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/5005030", "cvss": {"score": 5.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N"}}], "krebs": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-21T10:08:03", "description": "**Microsoft** today released software updates to plug at least 44 security vulnerabilities in its **Windows** operating systems and related products. The software giant warned that attackers already are pouncing on one of the flaws, which ironically enough involves an easy-to-exploit bug in the software component responsible for patching **Windows 10** PCs and **Windows Server 2019** machines.\n\n\n\nMicrosoft said attackers have seized upon [CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>), which is a weakness in the **Windows Update Medic** service. Update Medic is a new service that lets users repair Windows Update components from a damaged state so that the device can continue to receive updates.\n\nRedmond says while CVE-2021-36948 is being actively exploited, it is not aware of exploit code publicly available. The flaw is an "elevation of privilege" vulnerability that affects Windows 10 and **Windows Server 2019**, meaning it can be leveraged in combination with another vulnerability to let attackers run code of their choice as administrator on a vulnerable system.\n\n"CVE-2021-36948 is a privilege escalation vulnerability - the cornerstone of modern intrusions as they allow attackers the level of access to do things like hide their tracks and create user accounts," said **Kevin Breen** of [Immersive Labs](<https://www.immersivelabs.com>). "In the case of ransomware attacks, they have also been used to ensure maximum damage."\n\nAccording to Microsoft, critical flaws are those that can be exploited remotely by malware or malcontents to take complete control over a vulnerable Windows computer -- and with little to no help from users. Top of the heap again this month: Microsoft also took another stab at fixing a broad class of weaknesses in its printing software.\n\nLast month, the company rushed out an emergency update to patch "[PrintNightmare](<https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/07/microsoft-issues-emergency-patch-for-windows-flaw/>)" -- a critical hole in its Windows Print Spooler software that was being attacked in the wild. Since then, a number of researchers have discovered holes in that patch, allowing them to circumvent its protections.\n\nToday's Patch Tuesday fixes another critical Print Spooler flaw ([CVE-2021-36936](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36936>)), but it's not clear if this bug is a variant of PrintNightmare or a unique vulnerability all on its own, said **Dustin Childs** at **Trend Micro's Zero Day Initiative**.\n\n"Microsoft does state low privileges are required, so that should put this in the non-wormable category, but you should still prioritize testing and deployment of this Critical-rated bug," Childs said.\n\nMicrosoft said the Print Spooler patch it is pushing today should address all publicly documented security problems with the service.\n\n"Today we are addressing this risk by changing the default Point and Print driver installation and update behavior to require administrator privileges," Microsoft said in a blog post. "This change may impact Windows print clients in scenarios where non-elevated users were previously able to add or update printers. However, we strongly believe that the security risk justifies the change. This change will take effect with the installation of the security updates released on August 10, 2021 for all versions of Windows, and is documented as [CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>)."\n\nAugust brings yet another critical patch ([CVE-2021-34535](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34535>)) for the **Windows Remote Desktop** service, and this time the flaw is in the Remote Desktop client instead of the server.\n\n[CVE-2021-26424](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26424>) -- a scary, critical bug in the **Windows TCP/IP** component -- earned a CVSS score of 9.9 (10 is the worst), and is present in **Windows 7** through **Windows 10**, and Windows Server 2008 through 2019 (Windows 7 is no longer being supported with security updates).\n\nMicrosoft said it was not aware of anyone exploiting this bug yet, although the company assigned it the label "exploitation more likely," meaning it may not be difficult for attackers to figure out. CVE-2021-26424 could be exploited by sending a single malicious data packet to a vulnerable system.\n\nFor a complete rundown of all patches released today and indexed by severity, check out the [always-useful Patch Tuesday roundup](<https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Microsoft+August+2021+Patch+Tuesday/27736/>) from the **SANS Internet Storm Center**. And it's not a bad idea to hold off updating for a few days until Microsoft works out any kinks in the updates: [AskWoody.com](<https://www.askwoody.com/2021/defcon-2-august-updates-include-print-spooler-fixes/>) usually has the lowdown on any patches that are causing problems for Windows users.\n\nOn that note, before you update _please_ make sure you have backed up your system and/or important files. It\u2019s not uncommon for a Windows update package to hose one\u2019s system or prevent it from booting properly, and some updates have been known to erase or corrupt files.\n\nSo do yourself a favor and backup before installing any patches. Windows 10 even has some [built-in tools](<https://lifehacker.com/how-to-back-up-your-computer-automatically-with-windows-1762867473>) to help you do that, either on a per-file/folder basis or by making a complete and bootable copy of your hard drive all at once.\n\nAnd if you wish to ensure Windows has been set to pause updating so you can back up your files and/or system before the operating system decides to reboot and install patches on its own schedule, [see this guide](<https://www.computerworld.com/article/3543189/check-to-make-sure-you-have-windows-updates-paused.html>).\n\nIf you experience glitches or problems installing any of these patches this month, please consider leaving a comment about it below; there\u2019s a decent chance other readers have experienced the same and may chime in here with useful tips.", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 7.8, "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T21:12:58", "type": "krebs", "title": "Microsoft Patch Tuesday, August 2021 Edition", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 6.4, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-10T21:12:58", "id": "KREBS:AE87E964E683A56CFE4E51E96F3530AD", "href": "https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/08/microsoft-patch-tuesday-august-2021-edition/", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "thn": [{"lastseen": "2022-07-29T03:59:29", "description": "[](<https://thehackernews.com/new-images/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrnxKtJzXQbaLrPRY2GEIij8so07HImMs9wbPTTP-j92ED6wxTFv-NdQyw_Z0JBlqIYh-H3g2WKAcIkt70zKcB5AxP9KcQgCqChBwNsYPu9CQ_Xp6uBmkhxyoNZpHZIIQrV5TkreAFNBg-kFpOzjxBYxhl5bZqKZH6j9zgyd3itncGVyM5L09fy-c/s728-e100/windows-hacker.jpg>)\n\nA cyber mercenary that \"ostensibly sells general security and information analysis services to commercial customers\" used several Windows and Adobe zero-day exploits in limited and highly-targeted attacks against European and Central American entities.\n\nThe company, which Microsoft describes as a private-sector offensive actor (PSOA), is an Austria-based outfit called [DSIRF](<https://web.archive.org/web/20220713203741/https:/dsirf.eu/about/>) that's linked to the development and attempted sale of a piece of cyberweapon referred to as **Subzero**, which can be used to hack targets' phones, computers, and internet-connected devices.\n\n\"Observed victims to date include law firms, banks, and strategic consultancies in countries such as Austria, the United Kingdom, and Panama,\" the tech giant's cybersecurity teams [said](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/07/27/untangling-knotweed-european-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits/>) in a Wednesday report.\n\nMicrosoft is [tracking](<https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/07/27/private-sector-cyberweapons-psoas-knotweed/>) the actor under the moniker KNOTWEED, continuing its trend of terming PSOAs using names given to trees and shrubs. The company previously designated the name [SOURGUM](<https://thehackernews.com/2021/07/israeli-firm-helped-governments-target.html>) to Israeli spyware vendor Candiru.\n\nKNOTWEED is known to dabble in both access-as-a-service and [hack-for-hire](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/06/google-blocks-dozens-of-malicious.html>) operations, offering its toolset to third parties as well as directly associating itself in certain attacks.\n\nWhile the former entails the sales of end-to-end hacking tools that can be used by the purchaser in their own operations without the involvement of the offensive actor, hack-for-hire groups run the targeted operations on behalf of their clients.\n\nThe deployment of Subzero is said to have transpired through the exploitation of numerous issues, including an attack chain that abused an unknown Adobe Reader remote code execution (RCE) flaw and a zero-day privilege escalation bug ([CVE-2022-22047](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/microsoft-releases-fix-for-zero-day.html>)), the latter of which was addressed by Microsoft as part of its July Patch Tuesday updates.\n\n\"The exploits were packaged into a PDF document that was sent to the victim via email,\" Microsoft explained. \"CVE-2022-22047 was used in KNOTWEED related attacks for privilege escalation. The vulnerability also provided the ability to escape sandboxes and achieve system-level code execution.\"\n\nSimilar attack chains observed in 2021 leveraged a combination of two Windows privilege escalation exploits (CVE-2021-31199 and CVE-2021-31201) in conjunction with an Adobe reader flaw (CVE-2021-28550). The three vulnerabilities were [resolved](<https://thehackernews.com/2021/06/update-your-windows-computers-to-patch.html>) in June 2021.\n\nThe deployment of Subzero subsequently occurred through a fourth exploit, this time taking advantage of a privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Update Medic Service ([CVE-2021-36948](<https://thehackernews.com/2021/08/microsoft-releases-windows-updates-to.html>)), which was closed by Microsoft in August 2021.\n\nBeyond these exploit chains, Excel files masquerading as real estate documents have been used as a conduit to deliver the malware, with the files containing [Excel 4.0 macros](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/01/emotet-now-using-unconventional-ip.html>) designed to kick-start the infection process.\n\nRegardless of the method employed, the intrusions culminate in the execution of shellcode, which is used to retrieve a second-stage payload called Corelump from a remote server in the form of a JPEG image that also embeds a loader named Jumplump that, in turn, loads Corelump into memory.\n\nThe evasive implant comes with a wide range of capabilities, including keylogging, capturing screenshots, exfiltrating files, running a remote shell, and running arbitrary plugins downloaded from the remote server.\n\nAlso deployed during the attacks were bespoke utilities like Mex, a command-line tool to run open source security software like Chisel, and PassLib, a tool to dump credentials from web browsers, email clients, and the Windows credential manager.\n\nMicrosoft said it uncovered KNOTWEED actively serving malware since February 2020 through infrastructure hosted on DigitalOcean and Choopa, alongside identifying subdomains that are used for malware development, debugging Mex, and staging the Subzero payload.\n\nMultiple links have also been unearthed between DSIRF and the malicious tools used in KNOTWEED's attacks.\n\n\"These include command-and-control infrastructure used by the malware directly linking to DSIRF, a DSIRF-associated GitHub account being used in one attack, a code signing certificate issued to DSIRF being used to sign an exploit, and other open-source news reports attributing Subzero to DSIRF,\" Redmond noted.\n\nSubzero is no different from off-the-shelf malware such as [Pegasus](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/pegasus-spyware-used-to-hack-devices-of.html>), [Predator](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/05/cytroxs-predator-spyware-target-android.html>), [Hermit](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/06/google-says-isps-helped-attackers.html>), and [DevilsTongue](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/candiru-spyware-caught-exploiting.html>), which are capable of infiltrating phones and Windows machines to remotely control the devices and siphon off data, sometimes without requiring the user to click on a malicious link.\n\nIf anything, the latest findings highlight a burgeoning international market for such sophisticated surveillance technologies to carry out targeted attacks aimed at members of civil society.\n\nAlthough companies that sell commercial spyware advertise their wares as a means to tackle serious crimes, evidence gathered so far has found [several instances](<https://thehackernews.com/2022/06/nso-confirms-pegasus-spyware-used-by-at.html>) of these tools being misused by authoritarian governments and private organizations to snoop on human rights advocates, journalists, dissidents, and politicians.\n\nGoogle's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which is tracking over 30 vendors that hawk exploits or surveillance capabilities to state-sponsored actors, said the booming ecosystem underscores \"the extent to which commercial surveillance vendors have proliferated capabilities historically only used by governments.\"\n\n\"These vendors operate with deep technical expertise to develop and operationalize exploits,\" TAG's Shane Huntley [said](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/googles-efforts-to-identify-and-counter-spyware/>) in a testimony to the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, adding, \"its use is growing, fueled by demand from governments.\"\n\n \n\n\nFound this article interesting? Follow THN on [Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/thehackernews>), [Twitter _\uf099_](<https://twitter.com/thehackersnews>) and [LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/company/thehackernews/>) to read more exclusive content we post.\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 8.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "REQUIRED"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2022-07-28T11:18:00", "type": "thn", "title": "Microsoft Uncovers Austrian Company Exploiting Windows and Adobe Zero-Day Exploits", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 7.2, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 10.0, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-28550", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2022-22047"], "modified": "2022-07-29T02:58:07", "id": "THN:DFA2CC41C78DFA4BED87B1410C21CE2A", "href": "https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/microsoft-uncover-austrian-company.html", "cvss": {"score": 7.2, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}, {"lastseen": "2022-05-09T12:39:15", "description": "[](<https://thehackernews.com/images/-KFVbzvrTdtw/YRNbSwawxnI/AAAAAAAADfg/bEuoCVHmHHw4ycTXfnhAqcyuUoWDf2W7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/windows-update-download.jpg>)\n\nMicrosoft on Tuesday rolled out [security updates](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2021-Aug>) to address a total of 44 security issues affecting its software products and services, one of which it says is an actively exploited zero-day in the wild.\n\nThe update, which is the smallest release since December 2019, squashes seven Critical and 37 Important bugs in Windows, .NET Core & Visual Studio, Azure, Microsoft Graphics Component, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Scripting Engine, Microsoft Windows Codecs Library, Remote Desktop Client, among others. This is in addition to [seven security flaws](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-relnotes-security>) it patched in the Microsoft Edge browser on August 5.\n\nChief among the patched issues is [CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>) (CVSS score: 7.8), an elevation of privilege flaw affecting Windows Update Medic Service \u2014 a service that enables remediation and protection of Windows Update components \u2014 which could be abused to run malicious programs with escalated permissions.\n\nMicrosoft's Threat Intelligence Center has been credited with reporting the flaw, although the company refrained from sharing additional specifics or detail on how widespread those attacks were in light of active exploitation attempts.\n\nTwo of the security vulnerabilities are publicly known at the time of release -\n\n * [CVE-2021-36942](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36942>) (CVSS score: 9.8) - Windows LSA Spoofing Vulnerability\n * [CVE-2021-36936](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36936>) (CVSS score: 8.8) - Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability\n\nWhile CVE-2021-36942 contains fixes to secure systems against NTLM relay attacks like [PetitPotam](<https://thehackernews.com/2021/07/new-petitpotam-ntlm-relay-attack-lets.html>) by blocking the LSARPC interface, CVE-2021-36936 resolves yet another remote code execution flaw in the Windows Print Spooler component.\n\n\"An unauthenticated attacker could call a method on the LSARPC interface and coerce the domain controller to authenticate against another server using NTLM,\" Microsoft said in its advisory for CVE-2021-36942; adding the \"security update blocks the affected API calls OpenEncryptedFileRawA and OpenEncryptedFileRawW through LSARPC interface.\"\n\nCVE-2021-36936 is also one among the three flaws in the Print Spooler service that Microsoft has fixed this month, with the two other vulnerabilities being [CVE-2021-36947](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36947>) and (CVSS score: 8.2) and [CVE-2021-34483](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34483>) (CVSS score: 7.8), the latter of which concerns an elevation of privilege vulnerability.\n\nIn addition, Microsoft has released [security updates](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5005652-manage-new-point-and-print-default-driver-installation-behavior-cve-2021-34481-873642bf-2634-49c5-a23b-6d8e9a302872>) to resolve a previously disclosed remote code execution in the Print Spooler service tracked as [CVE-2021-34481](<https://thehackernews.com/2021/07/microsoft-warns-of-new-unpatched.html>) (CVSS score: 8.8). This changes the default behavior of the \"[Point and Print](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/print/introduction-to-point-and-print>)\" feature, effectively preventing non-administrator users from installing or updating new and existing printer drivers using drivers from a remote computer or server without first elevating themselves to an administrator.\n\nAnother critical flaw remediated as part of Patch Tuesday updates is [CVE-2021-26424](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26424>) (CVSS score: 9.9), a remote code execution vulnerability in Windows TCP/IP, which Microsoft notes \"is remotely triggerable by a malicious Hyper-V guest sending an ipv6 ping to the Hyper-V host. An attacker could send a specially crafted TCP/IP packet to its host utilizing the TCP/IP Protocol Stack (tcpip.sys) to process packets.\"\n\nTo install the latest security updates, Windows users can head to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update or by selecting Check for Windows updates.\n\n### Software Patches From Other Vendors\n\nBesides Microsoft, patches have also been released by a number of other vendors to address several vulnerabilities, including -\n\n * [Adobe](<https://helpx.adobe.com/security.html/security/security-bulletin.ug.html>)\n * [Android](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-08-01>)\n * [Cisco](<https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/publicationListing.x>)\n * [Citrix](<https://support.citrix.com/search/#/All%20Products?ct=Software%20Updates,Security%20Bulletins&searchText=&sortBy=Modified%20date&pageIndex=1>)\n * [Juniper Networks](<https://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&channel=SECURITY_ADVISORIES>)\n * Linux distributions [SUSE](<https://lists.suse.com/pipermail/sle-security-updates/2021-August/thread.html>), [Oracle Linux](<https://linux.oracle.com/ords/f?p=105:21>), and [Red Hat](<https://access.redhat.com/security/security-updates/#/security-advisories?q=&p=2&sort=portal_publication_date%20desc&rows=10&portal_advisory_type=Security%20Advisory&documentKind=Errata>)\n * [SAP](<https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=582222806>)\n * [Schneider Electric](<https://www.se.com/ww/en/work/support/cybersecurity/overview.jsp>)\n * [Siemens](<https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/services/cert.html#SecurityPublications>), and\n * [VMware](<https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories.html>)\n \n\n\nFound this article interesting? Follow THN on [Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/thehackernews>), [Twitter _\uf099_](<https://twitter.com/thehackersnews>) and [LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/company/thehackernews/>) to read more exclusive content we post.\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 9.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-11T05:31:00", "type": "thn", "title": "Microsoft Releases Windows Updates to Patch Actively Exploited Vulnerability", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 7.5, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 6.4, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-34483", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-11T05:31:39", "id": "THN:F601EBBE359B3547B8E79F0217562FEF", "href": "https://thehackernews.com/2021/08/microsoft-releases-windows-updates-to.html", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "malwarebytes": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-11T14:38:54", "description": "The sheer number of patches (44 security vulnerabilities) should be enough to scare us, but unfortunately we have gotten used to those numbers. In fact, 44 is a low number compared to what we have seen on recent Patch Tuesdays. So what are the most notable vulnerabilities that were patched.\n\n * One actively exploited vulnerability\n * One vulnerability that has a CVSS score of 9.9 out of 10\n * And yet another attempt to fix PrintNightmare\n\nLet\u2019s go over these worst cases to get an idea of what we are up against.\n\n### CVEs\n\nPublicly disclosed computer security flaws are listed in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database. Its goal is to make it easier to share data across separate vulnerability capabilities (tools, databases, and services).\n\n### Actively exploited\n\n[CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>) is an [elevation of privilege (EoP)](<https://blog.malwarebytes.com/glossary/privilege-escalation/>) vulnerability in the Windows Update Medic Service. The Windows Update Medic Service is a background service that was introduced with Windows 10 and handles the updating process. Its only purpose is to repair the Windows Update service so that your PC can continue to receive updates unhindered. Besides on Windows 10 it also runs on Windows Server 2019. According to Microsoft CVE-2021-36948 is being actively exploited, but it is not aware of exploit code publicly available. [Reportedly](<https://blog.automox.com/automox-experts-weigh-in-august-patch-tuesday-2021>), the exploit is both low complexity and can be exploited without user interaction, making this an easy vulnerability to include in an adversaries toolbox. The bug is only locally exploitable, but local elevation of privilege is exactly what ransomware gangs will be looking to do after breaching a network, for example.\n\n### 9.9 out of 10\n\n[CVE-2021-34535](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34535>) is a [Remote Code Execution (RCE)](<https://blog.malwarebytes.com/glossary/remote-code-execution-rce-attack/>) vulnerability in Windows TCP/IP. This is remotely exploitable by a malicious Hyper-V guest sending an ipv6 ping to the Hyper-V host. An attacker could send a specially crafted TCPIP packet to its host. This vulnerability exists in the TCP/IP protocol stack identified in Windows 7 and newer Microsoft operating systems, including servers.\n\nThis vulnerability received a CVSS score of 9.9 out of 10. The CVSS standards are used to help security researchers, software users, and vulnerability tracking organizations measure and report on the severity of vulnerabilities. CVSS can also help security teams and developers prioritize threats and allocate resources effectively.\n\n### 9.8 out of 10\n\nAnother high scorer is [CVE-2021-26432](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26432>), an RCE in the Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver. Open Network Computing (ONC) Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a remote procedure call system. ONC was originally developed by Sun Microsystems. The NFS protocol is independent of the type of operating system, network architecture, and transport protocols. The Windows service for the driver makes sure that Windows computers can use this protocol. This vulnerability got a high score because it is known to be easy to exploit and can be initiated remotely.\n\n### More RDP\n\n[CVE-2021-34535](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34535>) is an RCE in the Remote Desktop Client. Microsoft lists two exploit scenarios for this vulnerability:\n\n * In the case of a Remote Desktop connection, an attacker with control of a Remote Desktop Server could trigger a remote code execution (RCE) on the machine when a victim connects to the attacking server with the vulnerable Remote Desktop Client.\n * In the case of Hyper-V, a malicious program running in a guest VM could trigger guest-to-host RCE by exploiting this vulnerability in the Hyper-V Viewer when a victim running on the host connects to the attacking Hyper-V guest.\n\nSince this is a client-side vulnerability, an attacker would have to convince a user to authenticate to a malicious RDP server, where the server could then trigger the bug on the client side. Combined with other RDP weaknesses however, this vulnerability would be easy to chain into a full system take-over.\n\n### Never-ending nightmare of PrintNightmare\n\nThe Print Spooler service was subject to yet more patching. The researchers behind PrintNightmare predicted that it would be a fertile ground for further discoveries, and they seem to be right. I\u2019d be tempted to advise Microsoft to start from scratch instead of patching patches on a very old chunk of code.\n\n[CVE-2021-36936](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36936>) an RCE vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler. A vulnerability that was publicly disclosed, which may be related to several bugs in Print Spooler that were identified by researchers over the past few months (presumably PrintNightmare).\n\n[CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>) and [CVE-2021-34527](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34527>) are RCE vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.\n\nMicrosoft said the Print Spooler patch it pushed this time should address all publicly documented security problems with the service. In an unusual step, it has made a breaking change: \u201cToday we are addressing this risk by changing the default Point and Print driver installation and update behavior to require administrator privileges.\u201d\n\nTo be continued, we suspect.\n\nThe post [PrintNightmare and RDP RCE among major issues tackled by Patch Tuesday](<https://blog.malwarebytes.com/exploits-and-vulnerabilities/2021/08/printnightmare-and-rdp-rce-among-major-issues-tackled-by-patch-tuesday/>) appeared first on [Malwarebytes Labs](<https://blog.malwarebytes.com>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 8.8, "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-11T12:16:17", "type": "malwarebytes", "title": "PrintNightmare and RDP RCE among major issues tackled by Patch Tuesday", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 8.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 9.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "SINGLE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 10.0, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-34527", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-11T12:16:17", "id": "MALWAREBYTES:9F3181D8BD5EF0E44A305AF69898B9E0", "href": "https://blog.malwarebytes.com/exploits-and-vulnerabilities/2021/08/printnightmare-and-rdp-rce-among-major-issues-tackled-by-patch-tuesday/", "cvss": {"score": 9.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}], "mmpc": [{"lastseen": "2022-07-27T17:42:56", "description": "The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) found a private-sector offensive actor (PSOA) using multiple Windows and Adobe 0-day exploits, including one for the recently patched [CVE-2022-22047](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-22047>), in limited and targeted attacks against European and Central American customers. The PSOA, which MSTIC tracks as KNOTWEED, developed malware called Subzero which was used in these attacks.\n\nThis blog details Microsoft\u2019s analysis of the observed KNOTWEED activity and related malware used in targeted attacks against our customers. This information is shared with our customers and industry partners to improve detection of these attacks. Customers are encouraged to expedite deployment of the July 2022 Microsoft security updates to protect their systems against exploits using CVE-2022-22047. Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint have also implemented detections against KNOTWEED\u2019s malware and tools.\n\nPSOAs, which [Microsoft also refers to as cyber mercenaries](<https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/07/27/private-sector-cyberweapons-psoas-knotweed/>), sell hacking tools or services through a variety of business models. Two common models for this type of actor are access-as-a-service and hack-for-hire. In access-as-a-service, the actor sells full end-to-end hacking tools that can be used by the purchaser in operations, with the PSOA not involved in any targeting or running of the operation. In hack-for-hire, detailed information is provided by the purchaser to the actor, who then runs the targeted operations. Based on observed attacks and news reports, MSTIC believes that KNOTWEED may blend these models: they sell the Subzero malware to third parties but have also been observed using KNOTWEED-associated infrastructure in some attacks, suggesting more direct involvement.\n\n## Who is KNOTWEED?\n\nKNOTWEED is an Austria-based PSOA named DSIRF. The [DSIRF website](<https://web.archive.org/web/20220713203741/https:/dsirf.eu/about/>) [web archive link] says they provide services_ \u201cto multinational corporations in the technology, retail, energy and financial sectors_\u201d and that they have \u201c_a set of highly sophisticated techniques in gathering and analyzing information._\u201d They publicly offer several services including \u201c_an enhanced due diligence and risk analysis process through providing a deep understanding of individuals and entities\u201d _and _\u201chighly sophisticated Red Teams to challenge your company's most critical assets.\u201d_ \n \nHowever, [multiple](<https://www.intelligenceonline.com/surveillance--interception/2022/04/06/after-finfisher-s-demise-berlin-explores-cyber-tool-options,109766000-art>) [news](<https://www.focus.de/politik/vorab-aus-dem-focus-volle-kontrolle-ueber-zielcomputer-das-raetsel-um-die-spionage-app-fuehrt-ueber-wirecard-zu-putin_id_24442733.html>) [reports](<https://netzpolitik.org/2021/dsirf-wir-enthuellen-den-staatstrojaner-subzero-aus-oesterreich>) have linked DSIRF to the development and attempted sale of a malware toolset called Subzero. MSTIC found the Subzero malware being deployed through a variety of methods, including 0-day exploits in Windows and Adobe Reader, in 2021 and 2022. As part of our investigation into the utility of this malware, Microsoft\u2019s communications with a Subzero victim revealed that they had not commissioned any red teaming or penetration testing, and confirmed that it was unauthorized, malicious activity. Observed victims to date include law firms, banks, and strategic consultancies in countries such as Austria, the United Kingdom, and Panama. It\u2019s important to note that the identification of targets in a country doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that a DSIRF customer resides in the same country, as international targeting is common.\n\nMSTIC has found multiple links between DSIRF and the exploits and malware used in these attacks. These include command-and-control infrastructure used by the malware directly linking to DSIRF, a DSIRF-associated GitHub account being used in one attack, a code signing certificate issued to DSIRF being used to sign an exploit, and other open-source news reports attributing Subzero to DSIRF.\n\n## Observed actor activity\n\n### KNOTWEED initial access\n\nMSTIC found KNOTWEED\u2019s Subzero malware deployed in a variety of ways. In the succeeding sections, the different stages of Subzero are referred to by their Microsoft Defender detection names: _Jumplump _for the persistent loader and _Corelump _for the main malware.\n\n#### KNOTWEED exploits in 2022\n\nIn May 2022, MSTIC found an Adobe Reader remote code execution (RCE) and a 0-day Windows privilege escalation exploit chain being used in an attack that led to the deployment of Subzero. The exploits were packaged into a PDF document that was sent to the victim via email. Microsoft was not able to acquire the PDF or Adobe Reader RCE portion of the exploit chain, but the victim\u2019s Adobe Reader version was released in January 2022, meaning that the exploit used was either a 1-day exploit developed between January and May, or a 0-day exploit. Based on KNOTWEED\u2019s extensive use of other 0-days, we assess with medium confidence that the Adobe Reader RCE is a 0-day exploit. The Windows exploit was analyzed by MSRC, found to be a 0-day exploit, and then patched in July 2022 as CVE-2022-22047. Interestingly, there were indications in the Windows exploit code that it was also designed to be used from Chromium-based browsers, although we\u2019ve seen no evidence of browser-based attacks.\n\nThe CVE-2022-22047 vulnerability is related to an issue with [activation context](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/sbscs/activation-contexts>) caching in the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS) on Windows. At a high level, the vulnerability could enable an attacker to provide a crafted assembly manifest, which would create a malicious activation context in the activation context cache, for an arbitrary process. This cached context is used the next time the process spawned.\n\nCVE-2022-22047 was used in KNOTWEED related attacks for privilege escalation. The vulnerability also provided the ability to escape sandboxes (with some caveats, as discussed below) and achieve system-level code execution. The exploit chain starts with writing a malicious DLL to disk from the sandboxed Adobe Reader renderer process. The CVE-2022-22047 exploit was then used to target a system process by providing an application manifest with an undocumented attribute that specified the path of the malicious DLL. Then, when the system process next spawned, the attribute in the malicious activation context was used, the malicious DLL was loaded from the given path, and system-level code execution was achieved.\n\nIt's important to note that exploiting CVE-2022-22047 requires attackers to be able to write a DLL to disk. However, in the threat model of sandboxes, such as that of Adobe Reader and Chromium, the ability to write out files where the attacker _cannot_ control the path isn\u2019t considered dangerous. Hence, these sandboxes aren\u2019t a barrier to the exploitation of CVE-2022-22047.\n\n#### KNOTWEED exploits in 2021\n\nIn 2021, MSRC received a report of two Windows privilege escalation exploits ([CVE-2021-31199](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31199>) and [CVE-2021-31201](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31201>)) being used in conjunction with an Adobe Reader exploit ([CVE-2021-28550](<https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-29.html>)), all of which were patched in June 2021. MSTIC was able to confirm the use of these in an exploit chain used to deploy Subzero.\n\nWe were later able to link the deployment of Subzero to a fourth exploit, one related to a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Update Medic Service ([CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>)), which allowed an attacker to force the service to load an arbitrary signed DLL. The malicious DLL used in the attacks was signed by \u2018DSIRF GmbH\u2019.\n\nFigure 1. Valid digital signature from DSIRF on Medic Service exploit DLL\n\n#### Malicious Excel documents\n\nIn addition to the exploit chains, another method of access that led to the deployment of Subzero was an Excel file masquerading as a real estate document. The file contained a malicious macro that was obfuscated with large chunks of benign comments from the Kama Sutra, string obfuscation, and use of Excel 4.0 macros.\n\n Figure 2: Two examples of KNOTWEED Excel macro obfuscation\n\nAfter de-obfuscating strings at runtime, the VBA macro uses the _ExecuteExcel4Macro_ function to call native Win32 functions to load shellcode into memory allocated using _VirtualAlloc_. Each opcode is individually copied into a newly allocated buffer using _memset_ before _CreateThread_ is called to execute the shellcode.\n\nFigure 3: Copying opcodes Figure 4: Calling CreateThread on shellcode\n\nThe following section describes the shellcode executed by the macro.\n\n### KNOTWEED malware and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)\n\n#### Corelump downloader and loader shellcode\n\nThe downloader shellcode is the initial shellcode executed from either the exploit chains or malicious Excel documents. The shellcode's purpose is to retrieve the _Corelump_ second-stage malware from the actor\u2019s command-and-control (C2) server. The downloader shellcode downloads a JPEG image that contains extra encrypted data appended to the end of the file (past the _0xFF 0xD9_ marker that signifies the end of a JPEG file). The JPEG is then written to the user\u2019s _%TEMP%_ directory.\n\nFigure 5: One of the images embedded with the loader shellcode and Corelump\n\nThe downloader shellcode searches for a 16-byte marker immediately following the end of JPEG. After finding the marker, the downloader shellcode RC4 decrypts the loader shellcode using the next 16 bytes as the RC4 key. Finally, the loader shellcode RC4 decrypts the _Corelump_ malware using a second RC4 key and manually loads it into memory.\n\n#### Corelump malware\n\n_Corelump _is the main payload and resides exclusively in memory to evade detection. It contains a variety of capabilities including keylogging, capturing screenshots, exfiltrating files, running a remote shell, and running arbitrary plugins downloaded from KNOTWEED\u2019s C2 server.\n\nAs part of installation, _Corelump_ makes copies of legitimate Windows DLLs and overwrites sections of them with malicious code. As part of this process, _Corelump_ also modifies the fields in the PE header to accommodate the nefarious changes, such as adding new exported functions, disabling [Control Flow Guard](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/secbp/control-flow-guard>), and modifying the image file checksum with a computed value from _CheckSumMappedFile._ These trojanized binaries (_Jumplump_) are dropped to disk in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_, and COM registry keys are modified for persistence (see the Behaviors section for more information on COM hijacking).\n\n#### Jumplump loader\n\n_Jumplump _is responsible for loading _Corelump _into memory from the JPEG file in the %TEMP% directory. If _Corelump_ is not present, _Jumplump_ attempts to download it again from the C2 server. Both_ Jumplump _and the downloader shellcode are heavily obfuscated to make analysis difficult, with most instructions being followed by a jmp to another instruction/jmp combination, giving a convoluted control flow throughout the program.\n\nFigure 6: Disassembly showing the jmp/instruction obfuscation used in Jumplump\n\n#### Mex and PassLib\n\nKNOTWEED was also observed using the bespoke utility tools Mex and PassLib. These tools are developed by KNOTWEED and bear capabilities that are derived from publicly available sources. Mex, for example, is a command-line tool containing several red teaming or security plugins copied from GitHub (listed below):\n\n[Chisel](<https://github.com/jpillora/chisel>)| [mimikatz](<https://github.com/ParrotSec/mimikatz>)| [SharpHound3](<https://github.com/BloodHoundAD/SharpHound3>) \n---|---|--- \n[Curl](<https://github.com/curl/curl>)| [Ping Castle](<https://github.com/vletoux/pingcastle>)| [SharpOxidResolver](<https://github.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/SharpOxidResolver>) \n[Grouper2](<https://github.com/l0ss/Grouper2>)| [Rubeus](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Rubeus>)| [PharpPrinter](<https://github.com/rvrsh3ll/SharpPrinter>) \n[Internal Monologue](<https://github.com/eladshamir/Internal-Monologue>)| [SCShell](<https://github.com/Mr-Un1k0d3r/SCShell>)| [SpoolSample](<https://github.com/leechristensen/SpoolSample>) \n[Inveigh](<https://github.com/Kevin-Robertson/Inveigh>)| [Seatbelt](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Seatbelt>)| [StandIn](<https://github.com/FuzzySecurity/StandIn>) \n[Lockless](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Lockless>)| [SharpExec](<https://github.com/anthemtotheego/SharpExec>)| \n \nPassLib is a custom password stealer tool capable of dumping credentials from a variety of sources including web browsers, email clients, LSASS, LSA secrets, and the Windows credential manager.\n\n#### Post-compromise actions\n\nIn victims where KNOTWEED malware had been used, a variety of post-compromise actions were observed:\n\n * Setting of _UseLogonCredential _to \u201c1\u201d to enable plaintext credentials:\n * _reg add HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\SecurityProviders\\WDigest /v UseLogonCredential /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f_\n * Credential dumping via _comsvcs.dll_:\n * _rundll32.exe C:\\Windows\\System32\\comsvcs.dll, MiniDump_\n * Attempt to access emails with dumped credentials from a KNOTWEED IP address\n * Using Curl to download KNOTWEED tooling from public file shares such as _vultrobjects[.]com_\n * Running PowerShell scripts directly from a GitHub gist created by an account associated with DSIRF\n\n### KNOTWEED infrastructure connections to DSIRF\n\nPivoting off a known command-and-control domain identified by MSTIC, _acrobatrelay[.]com_, RiskIQ expanded the view of KNOTWEED's attack infrastructure. Leveraging unique patterns in the use of SSL certificates and other network fingerprints specific to the group and associated with that domain, RiskIQ identified a host of additional IP addresses under the control of KNOTWEED. This infrastructure, largely hosted by Digital Ocean and Choopa, has been actively serving malware since at least February of 2020 and continues through the time of this writing.\n\nRiskIQ next utilized passive DNS data to determine which domains those IPs resolved to at the time they were malicious. This process yielded several domains with direct links to DSIRF, including _demo3[.]dsirf[.]eu_ (the company's own website), and several subdomains that appear to have been used for malware development, including _debugmex[.]dsirflabs[.]eu_ (likely a server used for debugging malware with the bespoke utility tool Mex) and _szstaging[.]dsirflabs[.]eu_ (likely a server used to stage Subzero malware).\n\n## Detection and prevention\n\nMicrosoft will continue to monitor KNOTWEED activity and implement protections for our customers. The current detections and IOCs detailed below are in place and protecting Microsoft customers across our security products. Additional advanced hunting queries are also provided below to help organizations extend their protections and investigations of these attacks.\n\n### Behaviors\n\n_Corelump _drops the_ Jumplump_ loader DLLs to _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\\\. _This is a common directory used by malware as well as some legitimate programs, so writes of PE files to the folder should be monitored.\n\n_Jumplump_ uses COM hijacking for persistence, modifying COM registry keys to point to the _Jumplump_ DLL in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_. Modifications of default system CLSID values should be monitored to detect this technique (e.g., _HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\CLSID\\\\{GUID}\\InProcServer32 Default_ value). The five CLSIDs used by _Jumplump_ are listed below with their original clean values on Windows 11:\n\n * {ddc05a5a-351a-4e06-8eaf-54ec1bc2dcea} = "_%SystemRoot%\\System32\\ApplicationFrame.dll_"\n * {1f486a52-3cb1-48fd-8f50-b8dc300d9f9d} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\propsys.dll_"\n * {4590f811-1d3a-11d0-891f-00aa004b2e24} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\wbem\\wbemprox.dll_"\n * {4de225bf-cf59-4cfc-85f7-68b90f185355} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\wbem\\wmiprvsd.dll_"\n * {F56F6FDD-AA9D-4618-A949-C1B91AF43B1A} = "_%SystemRoot%\\System32\\Actioncenter.dll_"\n\nMany of the post-compromise actions can be detected based on their command lines. Customers should monitor for possible malicious activity such as PowerShell executing scripts from internet locations, modification of commonly abused registry keys such as _HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\SecurityProviders\\WDigest, _and LSASS credential dumping via minidumps.\n\n## Recommended customer actions\n\nThe techniques used by the actor and described in the Observed actor activity section can be mitigated by adopting the security considerations provided below:\n\n * All customers should prioritize patching of [CVE-2022-22047](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-22047>).\n * Confirm that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is updated to security intelligence update **1.371.503.0** or later to detect the related indicators.\n * Use the included indicators of compromise to investigate whether they exist in your environment and assess for potential intrusion.\n * [Change Excel macro security settings](<https://support.microsoft.com/office/change-macro-security-settings-in-excel-a97c09d2-c082-46b8-b19f-e8621e8fe373>) to control which macros run and under what circumstances when you open a workbook. Customers can also [stop malicious XLM or VBA macros](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/03/xlm-amsi-new-runtime-defense-against-excel-4-0-macro-malware/>) by ensuring runtime macro scanning by Antimalware Scan Interface ([AMSI](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/amsi/antimalware-scan-interface-portal>)) is on. This feature\u2014enabled by default\u2014is on if the Group Policy setting for Macro Run Time Scan Scope is set to \u201cEnable for All Files\u201d or \u201cEnable for Low Trust Files\u201d.\n * Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) to mitigate potentially compromised credentials and ensure that MFA is enforced for all remote connectivity. _Note:_ Microsoft strongly encourages all customers download and use password-less solutions like [Microsoft Authenticator](<https://www.microsoft.com/account/authenticator/>) to secure accounts.\n * Review all authentication activity for remote access infrastructure, with a particular focus on accounts configured with single factor authentication, to confirm authenticity and investigate any anomalous activity.\n\n## Indicators of compromise (IOCs)\n\nThe following list provides IOCs observed during our investigation. We encourage our customers to investigate these indicators in their environments and implement detections and protections to identify past related activity and prevent future attacks against their systems. All sample hashes are available in VirusTotal.\n\nIndicator| Type| Description \n---|---|--- \n78c255a98003a101fa5ba3f49c50c6922b52ede601edac5db036ab72efc57629| SHA-256| Malicious Excel document and VBA \n0588f61dc7e4b24554cffe4ea56d043d8f6139d2569bc180d4a77cf75b68792f| SHA-256| Malicious Excel document and VBA \n441a3810b9e89bae12eea285a63f92e98181e9fb9efd6c57ef6d265435484964| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \ncbae79f66f724e0fe1705d6b5db3cc8a4e89f6bdf4c37004aa1d45eeab26e84b| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nfd6515a71530b8329e2c0104d0866c5c6f87546d4b44cc17bbb03e64663b11fc| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n5d169e083faa73f2920c8593fb95f599dad93d34a6aa2b0f794be978e44c8206| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n7f29b69eb1af1cc6c1998bad980640bfe779525fd5bb775bc36a0ce3789a8bfc| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n02a59fe2c94151a08d75a692b550e66a8738eb47f0001234c600b562bf8c227d| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n7f84bf6a016ca15e654fb5ebc36fd7407cb32c69a0335a32bfc36cb91e36184d| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nafab2e77dc14831f1719e746042063a8ec107de0e9730249d5681d07f598e5ec| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n894138dfeee756e366c65a197b4dbef8816406bc32697fac6621601debe17d53| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n4611340fdade4e36f074f75294194b64dcf2ec0db00f3d958956b4b0d6586431| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nc96ae21b4cf2e28eec222cfe6ca903c4767a068630a73eca58424f9a975c6b7d| SHA-256| Corelump malware \nfa30be45c5c5a8f679b42ae85410f6099f66fe2b38eb7aa460bcc022babb41ca| SHA-256| Mex tool \ne64bea4032cf2694e85ede1745811e7585d3580821a00ae1b9123bb3d2d442d6| SHA-256| Passlib tool \nacrobatrelay[.]com__| Domain| C2 \nfinconsult[.]cc| Domain| C2 \nrealmetaldns[.]com| Domain| C2 \n \n**NOTE:** These indicators should not be considered exhaustive for this observed activity.\n\n## Detections\n\n### Microsoft Defender Antivirus\n\nMicrosoft Defender Antivirus detects the malware tools and implants used by KNOTWEED starting with signature build **1.371.503.0** as the following family names:\n\n * _Backdoor:O97M/JumplumpDropper_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Jumplump_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Corelump_\n * _HackTool:Win32/Mexlib_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Medcerc_\n * _Behavior:Win32/SuspModuleLoad_\n\n### Microsoft Defender for Endpoint\n\nMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint customers may see the following alerts as an indication of a possible attack. These alerts are not necessarily an indication of KNOTWEED compromise:\n\n * _COM Hijacking _- Detects multiple behaviors, including _JumpLump_ malware persistence techniques.\n * _Possible privilege escalation using CTF module _- Detects a possible privilege escalation behavior associated with CVE-2022-2204; also detects an attempt to perform local privilege escalation by launching an elevated process and loading an untrusted module to perform malicious activities\n * _KNOTWEED actor activity detected _- Detects KNOTWEED actor activities\n * _WDigest configuration change _- Detects potential retrieval of clear text password from changes to _UseLogonCredential_ registry key\n * _Sensitive credential memory read _- Detects LSASS credential dumping via minidumps\n * _Suspicious Curl behavior _- Detects the use of Curl to download KNOTWEED tooling from public file shares\n * _Suspicious screen capture activity_ - Detects _Corelump_ behavior of capturing screenshots of the compromised system\n\n## Hunting queries\n\n### Microsoft Sentinel\n\nThe following resources are available to Microsoft Sentinel customers to identify the activity outlined in the blog post.\n\n**Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies occurrences of Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections listed in this blog post:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDAVDetection.yaml>\n\n**File hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on file hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED across a range of common Microsoft Sentinel data sets:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDFileHashesJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**Domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED across a range of common Microsoft Sentinel data sets:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDC2DomainsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**COM registry key modified to point to Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query identifies modifications to COM registry keys to point to executable files in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/COMRegistryKeyModifiedtoPointtoFileinColorDrivers.yaml>\n\n**PE file dropped in Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query looks for PE files being created in the _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_ folder:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/DeviceFileEvents/PEfiledroppedinColorDriversFolder.yaml>\n\n**Abnormally large JPEG downloaded from new source**\n\nThis query looks for downloads of JPEG files from remote sources, where the file size is abnormally large, and not from a common source:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/CommonSecurityLog/AbnormallyLargeJPEGFiledDownloadedfromNewSource.yaml>\n\n**Downloading new file using Curl**\n\nThis query looks for new files being downloaded using Curl.\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/MultipleDataSources/DownloadofNewFileUsingCurl.yaml>\n\n**Suspected ****credential dumping**\n\nThis query looks for attackers using comsvcs.dll to dump credentials from memory\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/SecurityEvent/SuspectedLSASSDump.yaml>\n\n**Downgrade to ****plaintext credentials**\n\nThis query looks for registry key being set to enabled plain text credentials\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/SecurityEvent/WDigestDowngradeAttack.yaml>\n\n### Microsoft 365 Defender advanced hunting\n\nMicrosoft 365 Defender customers can run the following advanced hunting queries to locate IOCs and related malicious activity in their environments.\n\n**Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies detection of related malware and tools by Microsoft Defender Antivirus:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-AVDetections.yaml>\n\n**File hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query surfaces KNOTWEED file hash IOCs across Microsoft Defender for Endpoint tables:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-FileHashIOCsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**Domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED against Microsoft Defender for Endpoint device network connections:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-DomainIOCsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**COM registry key modified to point to Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query identifies modifications to COM registry keys to point to executable files in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-COMRegistryKeyModifiedtoPointtoColorProfileFolder.yaml>\n\n**PE file dropped in Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query looks for PE files being created in the _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\ folder_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-PEFileDroppedinColorProfileFolder.yaml>\n\n**Downloading new file using Curl**\n\nThis query looks for new files being downloaded using Curl.\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-DownloadingnewfileusingCurl.yaml>\n\nThe post [Untangling KNOTWEED: European private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/07/27/untangling-knotweed-european-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits/>) appeared first on [Microsoft Security Blog](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 8.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "REQUIRED"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2022-07-27T14:00:00", "type": "mmpc", "title": "Untangling KNOTWEED: European private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 7.2, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 10.0, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-28550", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2022-2204", "CVE-2022-22047"], "modified": "2022-07-27T14:00:00", "id": "MMPC:85647D37E79AFEF2BFF74B4682648C5E", "href": "https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/07/27/untangling-knotweed-european-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits/", "cvss": {"score": 7.2, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}], "mssecure": [{"lastseen": "2022-07-27T17:46:22", "description": "The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) found a private-sector offensive actor (PSOA) using multiple Windows and Adobe 0-day exploits, including one for the recently patched [CVE-2022-22047](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-22047>), in limited and targeted attacks against European and Central American customers. The PSOA, which MSTIC tracks as KNOTWEED, developed malware called Subzero which was used in these attacks.\n\nThis blog details Microsoft\u2019s analysis of the observed KNOTWEED activity and related malware used in targeted attacks against our customers. This information is shared with our customers and industry partners to improve detection of these attacks. Customers are encouraged to expedite deployment of the July 2022 Microsoft security updates to protect their systems against exploits using CVE-2022-22047. Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint have also implemented detections against KNOTWEED\u2019s malware and tools.\n\nPSOAs, which [Microsoft also refers to as cyber mercenaries](<https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/07/27/private-sector-cyberweapons-psoas-knotweed/>), sell hacking tools or services through a variety of business models. Two common models for this type of actor are access-as-a-service and hack-for-hire. In access-as-a-service, the actor sells full end-to-end hacking tools that can be used by the purchaser in operations, with the PSOA not involved in any targeting or running of the operation. In hack-for-hire, detailed information is provided by the purchaser to the actor, who then runs the targeted operations. Based on observed attacks and news reports, MSTIC believes that KNOTWEED may blend these models: they sell the Subzero malware to third parties but have also been observed using KNOTWEED-associated infrastructure in some attacks, suggesting more direct involvement.\n\n## Who is KNOTWEED?\n\nKNOTWEED is an Austria-based PSOA named DSIRF. The [DSIRF website](<https://web.archive.org/web/20220713203741/https:/dsirf.eu/about/>) [web archive link] says they provide services_ \u201cto multinational corporations in the technology, retail, energy and financial sectors_\u201d and that they have \u201c_a set of highly sophisticated techniques in gathering and analyzing information._\u201d They publicly offer several services including \u201c_an enhanced due diligence and risk analysis process through providing a deep understanding of individuals and entities\u201d _and _\u201chighly sophisticated Red Teams to challenge your company's most critical assets.\u201d_ \n \nHowever, [multiple](<https://www.intelligenceonline.com/surveillance--interception/2022/04/06/after-finfisher-s-demise-berlin-explores-cyber-tool-options,109766000-art>) [news](<https://www.focus.de/politik/vorab-aus-dem-focus-volle-kontrolle-ueber-zielcomputer-das-raetsel-um-die-spionage-app-fuehrt-ueber-wirecard-zu-putin_id_24442733.html>) [reports](<https://netzpolitik.org/2021/dsirf-wir-enthuellen-den-staatstrojaner-subzero-aus-oesterreich>) have linked DSIRF to the development and attempted sale of a malware toolset called Subzero. MSTIC found the Subzero malware being deployed through a variety of methods, including 0-day exploits in Windows and Adobe Reader, in 2021 and 2022. As part of our investigation into the utility of this malware, Microsoft\u2019s communications with a Subzero victim revealed that they had not commissioned any red teaming or penetration testing, and confirmed that it was unauthorized, malicious activity. Observed victims to date include law firms, banks, and strategic consultancies in countries such as Austria, the United Kingdom, and Panama. It\u2019s important to note that the identification of targets in a country doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that a DSIRF customer resides in the same country, as international targeting is common.\n\nMSTIC has found multiple links between DSIRF and the exploits and malware used in these attacks. These include command-and-control infrastructure used by the malware directly linking to DSIRF, a DSIRF-associated GitHub account being used in one attack, a code signing certificate issued to DSIRF being used to sign an exploit, and other open-source news reports attributing Subzero to DSIRF.\n\n## Observed actor activity\n\n### KNOTWEED initial access\n\nMSTIC found KNOTWEED\u2019s Subzero malware deployed in a variety of ways. In the succeeding sections, the different stages of Subzero are referred to by their Microsoft Defender detection names: _Jumplump _for the persistent loader and _Corelump _for the main malware.\n\n#### KNOTWEED exploits in 2022\n\nIn May 2022, MSTIC found an Adobe Reader remote code execution (RCE) and a 0-day Windows privilege escalation exploit chain being used in an attack that led to the deployment of Subzero. The exploits were packaged into a PDF document that was sent to the victim via email. Microsoft was not able to acquire the PDF or Adobe Reader RCE portion of the exploit chain, but the victim\u2019s Adobe Reader version was released in January 2022, meaning that the exploit used was either a 1-day exploit developed between January and May, or a 0-day exploit. Based on KNOTWEED\u2019s extensive use of other 0-days, we assess with medium confidence that the Adobe Reader RCE is a 0-day exploit. The Windows exploit was analyzed by MSRC, found to be a 0-day exploit, and then patched in July 2022 as CVE-2022-22047. Interestingly, there were indications in the Windows exploit code that it was also designed to be used from Chromium-based browsers, although we\u2019ve seen no evidence of browser-based attacks.\n\nThe CVE-2022-22047 vulnerability is related to an issue with [activation context](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/sbscs/activation-contexts>) caching in the Client Server Run-Time Subsystem (CSRSS) on Windows. At a high level, the vulnerability could enable an attacker to provide a crafted assembly manifest, which would create a malicious activation context in the activation context cache, for an arbitrary process. This cached context is used the next time the process spawned.\n\nCVE-2022-22047 was used in KNOTWEED related attacks for privilege escalation. The vulnerability also provided the ability to escape sandboxes (with some caveats, as discussed below) and achieve system-level code execution. The exploit chain starts with writing a malicious DLL to disk from the sandboxed Adobe Reader renderer process. The CVE-2022-22047 exploit was then used to target a system process by providing an application manifest with an undocumented attribute that specified the path of the malicious DLL. Then, when the system process next spawned, the attribute in the malicious activation context was used, the malicious DLL was loaded from the given path, and system-level code execution was achieved.\n\nIt's important to note that exploiting CVE-2022-22047 requires attackers to be able to write a DLL to disk. However, in the threat model of sandboxes, such as that of Adobe Reader and Chromium, the ability to write out files where the attacker _cannot_ control the path isn\u2019t considered dangerous. Hence, these sandboxes aren\u2019t a barrier to the exploitation of CVE-2022-22047.\n\n#### KNOTWEED exploits in 2021\n\nIn 2021, MSRC received a report of two Windows privilege escalation exploits ([CVE-2021-31199](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31199>) and [CVE-2021-31201](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31201>)) being used in conjunction with an Adobe Reader exploit ([CVE-2021-28550](<https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb21-29.html>)), all of which were patched in June 2021. MSTIC was able to confirm the use of these in an exploit chain used to deploy Subzero.\n\nWe were later able to link the deployment of Subzero to a fourth exploit, one related to a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Update Medic Service ([CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>)), which allowed an attacker to force the service to load an arbitrary signed DLL. The malicious DLL used in the attacks was signed by \u2018DSIRF GmbH\u2019.\n\nFigure 1. Valid digital signature from DSIRF on Medic Service exploit DLL\n\n#### Malicious Excel documents\n\nIn addition to the exploit chains, another method of access that led to the deployment of Subzero was an Excel file masquerading as a real estate document. The file contained a malicious macro that was obfuscated with large chunks of benign comments from the Kama Sutra, string obfuscation, and use of Excel 4.0 macros.\n\n Figure 2: Two examples of KNOTWEED Excel macro obfuscation\n\nAfter de-obfuscating strings at runtime, the VBA macro uses the _ExecuteExcel4Macro_ function to call native Win32 functions to load shellcode into memory allocated using _VirtualAlloc_. Each opcode is individually copied into a newly allocated buffer using _memset_ before _CreateThread_ is called to execute the shellcode.\n\nFigure 3: Copying opcodes Figure 4: Calling CreateThread on shellcode\n\nThe following section describes the shellcode executed by the macro.\n\n### KNOTWEED malware and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)\n\n#### Corelump downloader and loader shellcode\n\nThe downloader shellcode is the initial shellcode executed from either the exploit chains or malicious Excel documents. The shellcode's purpose is to retrieve the _Corelump_ second-stage malware from the actor\u2019s command-and-control (C2) server. The downloader shellcode downloads a JPEG image that contains extra encrypted data appended to the end of the file (past the _0xFF 0xD9_ marker that signifies the end of a JPEG file). The JPEG is then written to the user\u2019s _%TEMP%_ directory.\n\nFigure 5: One of the images embedded with the loader shellcode and Corelump\n\nThe downloader shellcode searches for a 16-byte marker immediately following the end of JPEG. After finding the marker, the downloader shellcode RC4 decrypts the loader shellcode using the next 16 bytes as the RC4 key. Finally, the loader shellcode RC4 decrypts the _Corelump_ malware using a second RC4 key and manually loads it into memory.\n\n#### Corelump malware\n\n_Corelump _is the main payload and resides exclusively in memory to evade detection. It contains a variety of capabilities including keylogging, capturing screenshots, exfiltrating files, running a remote shell, and running arbitrary plugins downloaded from KNOTWEED\u2019s C2 server.\n\nAs part of installation, _Corelump_ makes copies of legitimate Windows DLLs and overwrites sections of them with malicious code. As part of this process, _Corelump_ also modifies the fields in the PE header to accommodate the nefarious changes, such as adding new exported functions, disabling [Control Flow Guard](<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/secbp/control-flow-guard>), and modifying the image file checksum with a computed value from _CheckSumMappedFile._ These trojanized binaries (_Jumplump_) are dropped to disk in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_, and COM registry keys are modified for persistence (see the Behaviors section for more information on COM hijacking).\n\n#### Jumplump loader\n\n_Jumplump _is responsible for loading _Corelump _into memory from the JPEG file in the %TEMP% directory. If _Corelump_ is not present, _Jumplump_ attempts to download it again from the C2 server. Both_ Jumplump _and the downloader shellcode are heavily obfuscated to make analysis difficult, with most instructions being followed by a jmp to another instruction/jmp combination, giving a convoluted control flow throughout the program.\n\nFigure 6: Disassembly showing the jmp/instruction obfuscation used in Jumplump\n\n#### Mex and PassLib\n\nKNOTWEED was also observed using the bespoke utility tools Mex and PassLib. These tools are developed by KNOTWEED and bear capabilities that are derived from publicly available sources. Mex, for example, is a command-line tool containing several red teaming or security plugins copied from GitHub (listed below):\n\n[Chisel](<https://github.com/jpillora/chisel>)| [mimikatz](<https://github.com/ParrotSec/mimikatz>)| [SharpHound3](<https://github.com/BloodHoundAD/SharpHound3>) \n---|---|--- \n[Curl](<https://github.com/curl/curl>)| [Ping Castle](<https://github.com/vletoux/pingcastle>)| [SharpOxidResolver](<https://github.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/SharpOxidResolver>) \n[Grouper2](<https://github.com/l0ss/Grouper2>)| [Rubeus](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Rubeus>)| [PharpPrinter](<https://github.com/rvrsh3ll/SharpPrinter>) \n[Internal Monologue](<https://github.com/eladshamir/Internal-Monologue>)| [SCShell](<https://github.com/Mr-Un1k0d3r/SCShell>)| [SpoolSample](<https://github.com/leechristensen/SpoolSample>) \n[Inveigh](<https://github.com/Kevin-Robertson/Inveigh>)| [Seatbelt](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Seatbelt>)| [StandIn](<https://github.com/FuzzySecurity/StandIn>) \n[Lockless](<https://github.com/GhostPack/Lockless>)| [SharpExec](<https://github.com/anthemtotheego/SharpExec>)| \n \nPassLib is a custom password stealer tool capable of dumping credentials from a variety of sources including web browsers, email clients, LSASS, LSA secrets, and the Windows credential manager.\n\n#### Post-compromise actions\n\nIn victims where KNOTWEED malware had been used, a variety of post-compromise actions were observed:\n\n * Setting of _UseLogonCredential _to \u201c1\u201d to enable plaintext credentials:\n * _reg add HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\SecurityProviders\\WDigest /v UseLogonCredential /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f_\n * Credential dumping via _comsvcs.dll_:\n * _rundll32.exe C:\\Windows\\System32\\comsvcs.dll, MiniDump_\n * Attempt to access emails with dumped credentials from a KNOTWEED IP address\n * Using Curl to download KNOTWEED tooling from public file shares such as _vultrobjects[.]com_\n * Running PowerShell scripts directly from a GitHub gist created by an account associated with DSIRF\n\n### KNOTWEED infrastructure connections to DSIRF\n\nPivoting off a known command-and-control domain identified by MSTIC, _acrobatrelay[.]com_, RiskIQ expanded the view of KNOTWEED's attack infrastructure. Leveraging unique patterns in the use of SSL certificates and other network fingerprints specific to the group and associated with that domain, RiskIQ identified a host of additional IP addresses under the control of KNOTWEED. This infrastructure, largely hosted by Digital Ocean and Choopa, has been actively serving malware since at least February of 2020 and continues through the time of this writing.\n\nRiskIQ next utilized passive DNS data to determine which domains those IPs resolved to at the time they were malicious. This process yielded several domains with direct links to DSIRF, including _demo3[.]dsirf[.]eu_ (the company's own website), and several subdomains that appear to have been used for malware development, including _debugmex[.]dsirflabs[.]eu_ (likely a server used for debugging malware with the bespoke utility tool Mex) and _szstaging[.]dsirflabs[.]eu_ (likely a server used to stage Subzero malware).\n\n## Detection and prevention\n\nMicrosoft will continue to monitor KNOTWEED activity and implement protections for our customers. The current detections and IOCs detailed below are in place and protecting Microsoft customers across our security products. Additional advanced hunting queries are also provided below to help organizations extend their protections and investigations of these attacks.\n\n### Behaviors\n\n_Corelump _drops the_ Jumplump_ loader DLLs to _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\\\. _This is a common directory used by malware as well as some legitimate programs, so writes of PE files to the folder should be monitored.\n\n_Jumplump_ uses COM hijacking for persistence, modifying COM registry keys to point to the _Jumplump_ DLL in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_. Modifications of default system CLSID values should be monitored to detect this technique (e.g., _HKLM\\SOFTWARE\\Classes\\CLSID\\\\{GUID}\\InProcServer32 Default_ value). The five CLSIDs used by _Jumplump_ are listed below with their original clean values on Windows 11:\n\n * {ddc05a5a-351a-4e06-8eaf-54ec1bc2dcea} = "_%SystemRoot%\\System32\\ApplicationFrame.dll_"\n * {1f486a52-3cb1-48fd-8f50-b8dc300d9f9d} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\propsys.dll_"\n * {4590f811-1d3a-11d0-891f-00aa004b2e24} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\wbem\\wbemprox.dll_"\n * {4de225bf-cf59-4cfc-85f7-68b90f185355} = "_%SystemRoot%\\system32\\wbem\\wmiprvsd.dll_"\n * {F56F6FDD-AA9D-4618-A949-C1B91AF43B1A} = "_%SystemRoot%\\System32\\Actioncenter.dll_"\n\nMany of the post-compromise actions can be detected based on their command lines. Customers should monitor for possible malicious activity such as PowerShell executing scripts from internet locations, modification of commonly abused registry keys such as _HKLM\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\SecurityProviders\\WDigest, _and LSASS credential dumping via minidumps.\n\n## Recommended customer actions\n\nThe techniques used by the actor and described in the Observed actor activity section can be mitigated by adopting the security considerations provided below:\n\n * All customers should prioritize patching of [CVE-2022-22047](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-22047>).\n * Confirm that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is updated to security intelligence update **1.371.503.0** or later to detect the related indicators.\n * Use the included indicators of compromise to investigate whether they exist in your environment and assess for potential intrusion.\n * [Change Excel macro security settings](<https://support.microsoft.com/office/change-macro-security-settings-in-excel-a97c09d2-c082-46b8-b19f-e8621e8fe373>) to control which macros run and under what circumstances when you open a workbook. Customers can also [stop malicious XLM or VBA macros](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/03/xlm-amsi-new-runtime-defense-against-excel-4-0-macro-malware/>) by ensuring runtime macro scanning by Antimalware Scan Interface ([AMSI](<https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/amsi/antimalware-scan-interface-portal>)) is on. This feature\u2014enabled by default\u2014is on if the Group Policy setting for Macro Run Time Scan Scope is set to \u201cEnable for All Files\u201d or \u201cEnable for Low Trust Files\u201d.\n * Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) to mitigate potentially compromised credentials and ensure that MFA is enforced for all remote connectivity. _Note:_ Microsoft strongly encourages all customers download and use password-less solutions like [Microsoft Authenticator](<https://www.microsoft.com/account/authenticator/>) to secure accounts.\n * Review all authentication activity for remote access infrastructure, with a particular focus on accounts configured with single factor authentication, to confirm authenticity and investigate any anomalous activity.\n\n## Indicators of compromise (IOCs)\n\nThe following list provides IOCs observed during our investigation. We encourage our customers to investigate these indicators in their environments and implement detections and protections to identify past related activity and prevent future attacks against their systems. All sample hashes are available in VirusTotal.\n\nIndicator| Type| Description \n---|---|--- \n78c255a98003a101fa5ba3f49c50c6922b52ede601edac5db036ab72efc57629| SHA-256| Malicious Excel document and VBA \n0588f61dc7e4b24554cffe4ea56d043d8f6139d2569bc180d4a77cf75b68792f| SHA-256| Malicious Excel document and VBA \n441a3810b9e89bae12eea285a63f92e98181e9fb9efd6c57ef6d265435484964| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \ncbae79f66f724e0fe1705d6b5db3cc8a4e89f6bdf4c37004aa1d45eeab26e84b| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nfd6515a71530b8329e2c0104d0866c5c6f87546d4b44cc17bbb03e64663b11fc| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n5d169e083faa73f2920c8593fb95f599dad93d34a6aa2b0f794be978e44c8206| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n7f29b69eb1af1cc6c1998bad980640bfe779525fd5bb775bc36a0ce3789a8bfc| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n02a59fe2c94151a08d75a692b550e66a8738eb47f0001234c600b562bf8c227d| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n7f84bf6a016ca15e654fb5ebc36fd7407cb32c69a0335a32bfc36cb91e36184d| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nafab2e77dc14831f1719e746042063a8ec107de0e9730249d5681d07f598e5ec| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n894138dfeee756e366c65a197b4dbef8816406bc32697fac6621601debe17d53| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \n4611340fdade4e36f074f75294194b64dcf2ec0db00f3d958956b4b0d6586431| SHA-256| Jumplump malware \nc96ae21b4cf2e28eec222cfe6ca903c4767a068630a73eca58424f9a975c6b7d| SHA-256| Corelump malware \nfa30be45c5c5a8f679b42ae85410f6099f66fe2b38eb7aa460bcc022babb41ca| SHA-256| Mex tool \ne64bea4032cf2694e85ede1745811e7585d3580821a00ae1b9123bb3d2d442d6| SHA-256| Passlib tool \nacrobatrelay[.]com__| Domain| C2 \nfinconsult[.]cc| Domain| C2 \nrealmetaldns[.]com| Domain| C2 \n \n**NOTE:** These indicators should not be considered exhaustive for this observed activity.\n\n## Detections\n\n### Microsoft Defender Antivirus\n\nMicrosoft Defender Antivirus detects the malware tools and implants used by KNOTWEED starting with signature build **1.371.503.0** as the following family names:\n\n * _Backdoor:O97M/JumplumpDropper_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Jumplump_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Corelump_\n * _HackTool:Win32/Mexlib_\n * _Trojan:Win32/Medcerc_\n * _Behavior:Win32/SuspModuleLoad_\n\n### Microsoft Defender for Endpoint\n\nMicrosoft Defender for Endpoint customers may see the following alerts as an indication of a possible attack. These alerts are not necessarily an indication of KNOTWEED compromise:\n\n * _COM Hijacking _- Detects multiple behaviors, including _JumpLump_ malware persistence techniques.\n * _Possible privilege escalation using CTF module _- Detects a possible privilege escalation behavior associated with CVE-2022-2204; also detects an attempt to perform local privilege escalation by launching an elevated process and loading an untrusted module to perform malicious activities\n * _KNOTWEED actor activity detected _- Detects KNOTWEED actor activities\n * _WDigest configuration change _- Detects potential retrieval of clear text password from changes to _UseLogonCredential_ registry key\n * _Sensitive credential memory read _- Detects LSASS credential dumping via minidumps\n * _Suspicious Curl behavior _- Detects the use of Curl to download KNOTWEED tooling from public file shares\n * _Suspicious screen capture activity_ - Detects _Corelump_ behavior of capturing screenshots of the compromised system\n\n## Hunting queries\n\n### Microsoft Sentinel\n\nThe following resources are available to Microsoft Sentinel customers to identify the activity outlined in the blog post.\n\n**Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies occurrences of Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections listed in this blog post:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDAVDetection.yaml>\n\n**File hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on file hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED across a range of common Microsoft Sentinel data sets:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDFileHashesJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**Domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED across a range of common Microsoft Sentinel data sets:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/KNOTWEEDC2DomainsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**COM registry key modified to point to Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query identifies modifications to COM registry keys to point to executable files in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/MultipleDataSources/COMRegistryKeyModifiedtoPointtoFileinColorDrivers.yaml>\n\n**PE file dropped in Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query looks for PE files being created in the _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_ folder:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/DeviceFileEvents/PEfiledroppedinColorDriversFolder.yaml>\n\n**Abnormally large JPEG downloaded from new source**\n\nThis query looks for downloads of JPEG files from remote sources, where the file size is abnormally large, and not from a common source:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/CommonSecurityLog/AbnormallyLargeJPEGFiledDownloadedfromNewSource.yaml>\n\n**Downloading new file using Curl**\n\nThis query looks for new files being downloaded using Curl.\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/MultipleDataSources/DownloadofNewFileUsingCurl.yaml>\n\n**Suspected ****credential dumping**\n\nThis query looks for attackers using comsvcs.dll to dump credentials from memory\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/SecurityEvent/SuspectedLSASSDump.yaml>\n\n**Downgrade to ****plaintext credentials**\n\nThis query looks for registry key being set to enabled plain text credentials\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/SecurityEvent/WDigestDowngradeAttack.yaml>\n\n### Microsoft 365 Defender advanced hunting\n\nMicrosoft 365 Defender customers can run the following advanced hunting queries to locate IOCs and related malicious activity in their environments.\n\n**Microsoft Defender Antivirus detections related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies detection of related malware and tools by Microsoft Defender Antivirus:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-AVDetections.yaml>\n\n**File hash IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query surfaces KNOTWEED file hash IOCs across Microsoft Defender for Endpoint tables:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-FileHashIOCsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**Domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED**\n\nThis query identifies matches based on domain IOCs related to KNOTWEED against Microsoft Defender for Endpoint device network connections:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-DomainIOCsJuly2022.yaml>\n\n**COM registry key modified to point to Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query identifies modifications to COM registry keys to point to executable files in _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-COMRegistryKeyModifiedtoPointtoColorProfileFolder.yaml>\n\n**PE file dropped in Color Profile folder**\n\nThis query looks for PE files being created in the _C:\\Windows\\System32\\spool\\drivers\\color\\ folder_:\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-PEFileDroppedinColorProfileFolder.yaml>\n\n**Downloading new file using Curl**\n\nThis query looks for new files being downloaded using Curl.\n\n<https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Hunting%20Queries/Microsoft%20365%20Defender/Campaigns/KNOTWEED/KNOTWEED-DownloadingnewfileusingCurl.yaml>\n\nThe post [Untangling KNOTWEED: European private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/07/27/untangling-knotweed-european-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits/>) appeared first on [Microsoft Security Blog](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 8.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "REQUIRED"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2022-07-27T14:00:00", "type": "mssecure", "title": "Untangling KNOTWEED: European private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 7.2, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 10.0, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-28550", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2022-2204", "CVE-2022-22047"], "modified": "2022-07-27T14:00:00", "id": "MSSECURE:85647D37E79AFEF2BFF74B4682648C5E", "href": "https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2022/07/27/untangling-knotweed-european-private-sector-offensive-actor-using-0-day-exploits/", "cvss": {"score": 7.2, "vector": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}], "avleonov": [{"lastseen": "2021-11-26T18:43:30", "description": "Hello everyone! Yet another news episode.\n\n## Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday\n\nLet's start with Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday. I think the most interesting thing is that it contains a fix for the PetitPotam vulnerability. I talked about this vulnerability two weeks ago. At the time, Microsoft had no plans to release a patch because PetitPotam was a "classic NTLM Relay Attack". But the patch was actually released as part of August Patch Tuesday.\n\nA [quote from Rapid7](<https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2021/08/03/petitpotam-novel-attack-chain-can-fully-compromise-windows-domains-running-ad-cs/>): _"Tracked as CVE-2021-36942, the August 2021 Patch Tuesday security update blocks the affected API calls OpenEncryptedFileRawA and OpenEncryptedFileRawW through the LSARPC interface"_. \n\nThere are no formal signs that this vulnerability is critical other than comments from the vendors. My Vulristics tool has flagged this "Windows LSA Spoofing" as a Medium level Vulnerability. But this fix seems to be the most important thing in this Patch Tuesday. So install this patch first.\n\nSpeaking of other vulnerabilities. There was nothing critical. No vulnerabilities with public exploits. Only one vulnerability that has been exploited in the wild, CVE-2021-36948 \u2013 Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege. But this is EoP and there are no public exploits yet, so I think you can patch it as planned without hurry.\n\nSeveral potentially dangerous RCEs:\n\n * Windows Print Spooler (CVE-2021-36936, CVE-2021-36947). They look similar to PrintNightmare, but there are no details yet.\n * Windows TCP/IP (CVE-2021-26424) and Remote Desktop Client (CVE-2021-34535). Such vulnerabilities rarely get public exploits.\n * NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver (CVE-2021-26432). Nothing is clear at all.\n\nIn general, it looks like a ptetty calm Patch Tuesday. If you're interested, a link to the Vulristics report: In general, it looks like a ptetty calm Patch Tuesday. If you're interested, a link to the Vulristics report: [ms_patch_tuesday_august2021](<https://avleonov.com/vulristics_reports/ms_patch_tuesday_august2021_report_avleonov_comments.html>)\n\n## Phishers started using reCAPTCHA\n\nFunny news that I really liked. [Phishers started using reCAPTCHA](<https://threatpost.com/cyberattackers-captchas-phishing-malware/168684/>) to bypass the automatic detection of phishing sites. The script only sees the safe page with a CAPTCHA and can't solve it. But a real person just solves it without thinking, because people used to seeing and solving such CAPTCHAs, and see the complete phishing site. It's very simple and ingenious! \n\n## Scan one IP and go to the prison\n\nAnd the last will be [a local news from Russia](<https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/17/08/2021/611a95059a7947e9bf954a8f>). But the case is interesting. One guy worked in the tech support of some internet provider. And he decided to scan the network of this provider, detect misconfigured routers of the clients and inform them about the found vulnerabilities. His boss knew about it. Unfortunatelly, these clients included some government scientific research-to-production facility with a mail server available on the scanned IP. This facility is a \u201ccritical infrastructure\u201d object and the actions of a support technician are classified as an attack on critical infrastructure. He can spend up to 7 years in prison. Why he personally and not his employer? That guy worked remotelly from home and scanned from his personal IP address.\n\nA pretty crazy story, but it shows the cirumstances of "penetration testing" or "bughunting" without getting all necessery formal permissions. It also shows how, in theory, a person could be easily framed as an attacker if that person's personal device is compromised. Also, I don't think port scanning or banner grabbing is actually an attack, IMHO this is normal network activity. And I don't think that checking the default passwords is always an attack, but it is a topic for discussion. In fact it doesn't matter what I or we think, it's only law enforcement practice that matters, and that practice can be pretty harsh. So keep that in mind and don't scan the unknown hosts that don't belong to you unless you want sudden problems.", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 9.8, "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-19T21:38:46", "type": "avleonov", "title": "Security News: Microsoft Patch Tuesday August 2021, Phishers Started Using reCAPTCHA, Scan 1 IP and Go to Jail", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 7.5, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 6.4, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-19T21:38:46", "id": "AVLEONOV:3530747E605445686B7211B2B0853579", "href": "https://avleonov.com/2021/08/20/security-news-microsoft-patch-tuesday-august-2021-phishers-started-using-recaptcha-scan-1-ip-and-go-to-jail/", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "hivepro": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-23T15:19:10", "description": "#### THREAT LEVEL: Red.\n\nFor a detailed advisory, [download the pdf file here.](<https://www.hivepro.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TA202129.pdf>)\n\nMultiple vulnerabilities have been patched by Microsoft in August 2021 Patch Tuesday. Three of them have been labeled as zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-36936, CVE-2021-36942, and CVE-2021-36948). One of them (CVE-2021-36948) has already been exploited in the wild. The attacker is yet to be identified. Microsoft has classified six vulnerabilities as critical, and patches for all of them are now available.\n\n#### Vulnerability Details\n\n \n\n#### Patch Links\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34530>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34534>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36936>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26432>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34480>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34535>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26424>\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36942>\n\n#### References\n\n<https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-august-2021-patch-tuesday-fixes-3-zero-days-44-flaws/>", "cvss3": {}, "published": "2021-08-11T13:25:48", "type": "hivepro", "title": "Critical Vulnerabilities revealed in Microsoft\u2019s Patch Tuesday", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-34480", "CVE-2021-34530", "CVE-2021-34534", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-11T13:25:48", "id": "HIVEPRO:1BBAC0CD5F3681EC49D06BE85DC90A92", "href": "https://www.hivepro.com/critical-vulnerabilities-revealed-in-microsofts-patch-tuesday/", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "threatpost": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-11T19:56:07", "description": "Microsoft has patched 51 security vulnerabilities in its scheduled August Patch Tuesday update, including seven critical bugs, two issues that were publicly disclosed but unpatched until now, and one that\u2019s listed as a zero-day that has been exploited in the wild.\n\nOf note, there are 17 elevation-of-privilege (EoP) vulnerabilities, 13 remote code-execution (RCE) issues, eight information-disclosure flaws and two denial-of-service (DoS) bugs.\n\nThe update also includes patches for three more Print Spooler bugs, familiar from the PrintNightmare saga.\n\n[](<https://threatpost.com/infosec-insider-subscription-page/>)\n\n\u201cFortunately, it was a lighter month than usual,\u201d said Eric Feldman, senior product marketing manager at Automox, in a [Patch Tuesday analysis](<https://blog.automox.com/automox-experts-weigh-in-august-patch-tuesday-2021>) from the vendor. \u201cThis represents a 56 percent reduction in overall vulnerabilities from July, and 33 percent fewer vulnerabilities on average for each month so far this year. We have also seen a similar reduction in critical vulnerabilities this month, with 30 percent less compared to the monthly average.\u201d\n\n## **Windows Critical Security Vulnerabilities**\n\nThe seven critical bugs [addressed in August](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/>) are as follows:\n\n * CVE-2021-26424 \u2013 Windows TCP/IP RCE Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-26432 \u2013 Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver RCE Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-34480 \u2013 Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-34530 \u2013 Windows Graphics Component RCE Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-34534 \u2013 Windows MSHTML Platform RCE Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-34535 \u2013 Remote Desktop Client RCE Vulnerability\n * CVE-2021-36936 \u2013 Windows Print Spooler RCE Vulnerability\n\nThe bug tracked as **CVE-2021-26424** exists in the TCP/IP protocol stack identified in Windows 7 and newer Microsoft operating systems, including servers.\n\n\u201cDespite its CVSS rating of 9.9, this may prove to be a trivial bug, but it\u2019s still fascinating,\u201d said Dustin Childs of Trend Micro\u2019s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) in his [Tuesday analysis](<https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/blog/2021/8/10/the-august-2021-security-update-review>). \u201cAn attacker on a guest Hyper-V OS could execute code on the host Hyper-V server by sending a specially crafted IPv6 ping. This keeps it out of the wormable category. Still, a successful attack would allow the guest OS to completely take over the Hyper-V host. While not wormable, it\u2019s still cool to see new bugs in new scenarios being found in protocols that have been around for years.\u201d\n\nThe next bug, **CVE-2021-26432** in Windows Services, is more likely to be exploited given its low complexity status, according to Microsoft\u2019s advisory; it doesn\u2019t require privileges or user interaction to exploit, but Microsoft offered no further details.\n\n\u201cThis may fall into the \u2018wormable\u2019 category, at least between servers with NFS installed, especially since the open network computing remote procedure call (ONCRPC) consists of an External Data Representation (XDR) runtime built on the Winsock Kernel (WSK) interface,\u201d Childs said. \u201cThat certainly sounds like elevated code on a listening network service. Don\u2019t ignore this patch.\u201d\n\nAleks Haugom, product marketing manager at Automox, added, \u201cExploitation results in total loss of confidentiality across all devices managed by the same security authority. Furthermore, attackers can utilize it for denial-of-service attacks or to maliciously modify files. So far, no further details have been divulged by Microsoft or the security researcher (Liubenjin from Codesafe Team of Legendsec at Qi\u2019anxin Group) that discovered this vulnerability. Given the broad potential impact, its label \u2018Exploitation More Likely\u2019 and apparent secrecy, patching should be completed ASAP.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile, the memory-corruption bug (**CVE-2021-34480**) arises from how the scripting engine handles objects in memory, and it also allows RCE. Using a web-based attack or a malicious file, such as a malicious landing page or phishing email, attackers can use this vulnerability to take control of an affected system, install programs, view or change data, or create new user accounts with full user rights.\n\n\u201cCVE-2021-34480 should also be a priority,\u201d Kevin Breen, director of cyber-threat research at Immersive Labs, told Threatpost. \u201cIt is a low score in terms of CVSS, coming in at 6.8, but has been marked by Microsoft as \u2018Exploitation More Likely\u2019 because it is the type of attack commonly used to increase the success rate of spear phishing attacks to gain network access. Simple, but effective.\u201d\n\nThe Windows Graphic Component bug (**CVE-2021-34530**) allows attackers to remotely execute malicious code in the context of the current user, according to Microsoft \u2013 if they can social-engineer a target into opening a specially crafted file.\n\nAnother bug exists in the Windows MSHTML platform, also known as Trident (**CVE-2021-34534**). Trident is the rendering engine (mshtml.dll) used by Internet Explorer. The bug affects many Windows 10 versions (1607, 1809,1909, 2004, 20H2, 21H1) as well as Windows Server 2016 and 2019.\n\nBut while it potentially affects a large number of users, exploitation is not trivial.\n\n\u201cTo exploit, a threat actor would need to pull off a highly complex attack with user interaction \u2013 still entirely possible with the sophisticated attackers of today,\u201d said Peter Pflaster, technical product marketing manager at Automox.\n\nThe bug tracked as **CVE-2021-34535** impacts the Microsoft Remote Desktop Client, Microsoft\u2019s nearly ubiquitous utility for connecting to remote PCs.\n\n\u201cWith today\u2019s highly dispersed workforce, CVE-2021-34535, an RCE vulnerability in Remote Desktop Clients, should be a priority patch,\u201d said Breen. \u201cAttackers increasingly use RDP access as the tip of the spear to gain network access, often combining it with privilege escalation to move laterally. These can be powerful as, depending on the method, it may allow the attacker to authenticate in the network in the same way a user would, making detection difficult.\u201d\n\nIt\u2019s not as dangerous of a bug [as BlueKeep,](<https://threatpost.com/one-million-devices-open-to-wormable-microsoft-bluekeep-flaw/145113/>) according to Childs, which also affected RDP.\n\n\u201cBefore you start having flashbacks to BlueKeep, this bug affects the RDP client and not the RDP server,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, the CVSS 9.9 bug is nothing to ignore. An attacker can take over a system if they can convince an affected RDP client to connect to an RDP server they control. On Hyper-V servers, a malicious program running in a guest VM could trigger guest-to-host RCE by exploiting this vulnerability in the Hyper-V Viewer. This is the more likely scenario and the reason you should test and deploy this patch quickly.\u201d\n\n## **Windows Print Spooler Bugs \u2013 Again**\n\nThe final critical bug is **CVE-2021-36936**, a Windows Print Spooler RCE bug that\u2019s listed as publicly known.\n\nPrint Spooler made headlines last month, when Microsoft patched what it thought was a minor elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the service (CVE-2021-1675). But the listing was updated later in the week, after researchers from Tencent and NSFOCUS TIANJI Lab figured out it could be used for RCE \u2013 [requiring a new patch](<https://threatpost.com/microsoft-emergency-patch-printnightmare/167578/>).\n\nIt also disclosed a second bug, similar to PrintNightmare (CVE-2021-34527); and a third, [an EoP issue](<https://threatpost.com/microsoft-unpatched-bug-windows-print-spooler/167855/>) ([CVE-2021-34481](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5005652-manage-new-point-and-print-default-driver-installation-behavior-cve-2021-34481-873642bf-2634-49c5-a23b-6d8e9a302872>)).\n\n\u201cAnother month, another remote code-execution bug in the Print Spooler,\u201d said ZDI\u2019s Childs. \u201cThis bug is listed as publicly known, but it\u2019s not clear if this bug is a variant of PrintNightmare or a unique vulnerability all on its own. There are quite a few print-spooler bugs to keep track of. Either way, attackers can use this to execute code on affected systems. Microsoft does state low privileges are required, so that should put this in the non-wormable category, but you should still prioritize testing and deployment of this critical-rated bug.\u201d\n\nThe critical vulnerability is just one of three Print Spooler issues in the August Patch Tuesday release.\n\n\u201cThe specter of the PrintNightmare continues to haunt this patch Tuesday with three more print spooler vulnerabilities, CVE-2021-36947, CVE-2021-36936 and CVE-2021-34481,\u201d said Breen. \u201cAll three are listed as RCE over the network, requiring a low level of access, similar to PrintNightmare. Microsoft has marked these as \u2018Exploitation More Likely\u2019 which, if the previous speed of POC code being published is anything to go by, is certainly true.\u201d\n\n## **RCE Zero-Day in Windows Update Medic Service **\n\nThe actively exploited bug is tracked as **CVE-2021-36948** and is rated as important; it could pave the way for RCE via the Windows Update Medic Service in Windows 10 and Server 2019 and newer operating systems.\n\n\u201cUpdate Medic is a new service that allows users to repair Windows Update components from a damaged state such that the device can continue to receive updates,\u201d Automox\u2019 Jay Goodman explained. \u201cThe exploit is both low complexity and can be exploited without user interaction, making this an easy vulnerability to include in an adversary\u2019s toolbox.\u201d\n\nImmersive\u2019s Breen added, \u201cCVE-2021-36948 is a privilege-escalation vulnerability \u2013 the cornerstone of modern intrusions as they allow attackers the level of access to do things like hide their tracks and create user accounts. In the case of ransomware attacks, they have also been used to ensure maximum damage.\u201d\n\nThough the bug is being reported as being exploited in the wild by Microsoft, activity appears to remain limited or targeted: \u201cWe have seen no evidence of it at Kenna Security at this time,\u201d Jerry Gamblin, director of security research at Kenna Security (now part of Cisco) told Threatpost.\n\n## **Publicly Known Windows LSA Spoofing Bug**\n\nThe second publicly known bug (after the Print Spooler issue covered earlier) is tracked as **CVE-2021-36942**, and it\u2019s an important-rated Windows LSA (Local Security Authority) spoofing vulnerability.\n\n\u201cIt fixes a flaw that could be used to steal NTLM hashes from a domain controller or other vulnerable host,\u201d Immersive\u2019s Breen said. \u201cThese types of attacks are well known for lateral movement and privilege escalation, as has been demonstrated recently by a [new exploit called PetitPotam](<https://threatpost.com/microsoft-petitpotam-poc/168163/>). It is a post-intrusion exploit \u2013 further down the attack chain \u2013 but still a useful tool for attackers.\u201d\n\nChilds offered a bit of context around the bug.\n\n\u201cMicrosoft released this patch to further protect against NTLM relay attacks by issuing this update to block the LSARPC interface,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will impact some systems, notably Windows Server 2008 SP2, that use the EFS API OpenEncryptedFileRawA function. You should apply this to your Domain Controllers first and follow the additional guidance in [ADV210003](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/ADV210003>) and [KB5005413](<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5005413-mitigating-ntlm-relay-attacks-on-active-directory-certificate-services-ad-cs-3612b773-4043-4aa9-b23d-b87910cd3429>). This has been an ongoing issue since 2009, and, likely, this isn\u2019t the last we\u2019ll hear of this persistent issue.\u201d\n\nMicrosoft\u2019s next Patch Tuesday will fall on September 14.\n\nWorried about where the next attack is coming from? We\u2019ve got your back. **[REGISTER NOW](<https://threatpost.com/webinars/how-to-think-like-a-threat-actor/?utm_source=ART&utm_medium=ART&utm_campaign=August_Uptycs_Webinar>)** for our upcoming live webinar, How to **Think Like a Threat Actor**, in partnership with Uptycs on Aug. 17 at 11 AM EST and find out precisely where attackers are targeting you and how to get there first. Join host Becky Bracken and Uptycs researchers Amit Malik and Ashwin Vamshi on **[Aug. 17 at 11AM EST for this LIVE discussion](<https://threatpost.com/webinars/how-to-think-like-a-threat-actor/?utm_source=ART&utm_medium=ART&utm_campaign=August_Uptycs_Webinar>)**.\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 8.8, "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "REQUIRED", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T21:17:58", "type": "threatpost", "title": "Actively Exploited Windows Zero-Day Gets a Patch", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 8.6, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": true, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "MEDIUM", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 9.3, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 10.0, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-1675", "CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-34480", "CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-34527", "CVE-2021-34530", "CVE-2021-34534", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2021-08-10T21:17:58", "id": "THREATPOST:8D4EA8B0593FD44763915E703BC9AB72", "href": "https://threatpost.com/exploited-windows-zero-day-patch/168539/", "cvss": {"score": 9.3, "vector": "AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}], "nessus": [{"lastseen": "2023-01-11T14:53:39", "description": "The remote Windows host is missing security update 5005031.\nIt is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities :\n\n - A remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker can exploit this to bypass authentication and execute unauthorized arbitrary commands. (CVE-2021-26424, CVE-2021-26432, CVE-2021-34530, CVE-2021-34533, CVE-2021-34534, CVE-2021-34535, CVE-2021-36936, CVE-2021-36937, CVE-2021-36947)\n\n - An elevation of privilege vulnerability. An attacker can exploit this to gain elevated privileges.\n (CVE-2021-26425, CVE-2021-26426, CVE-2021-34483, CVE-2021-34484, CVE-2021-34486, CVE-2021-34487, CVE-2021-34536, CVE-2021-34537, CVE-2021-36948)\n\n - An information disclosure vulnerability. An attacker can exploit this to disclose potentially sensitive information. (CVE-2021-26433, CVE-2021-36926, CVE-2021-36932, CVE-2021-36933)\n\n - An memory corruption vulnerability exists. 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Malicious users can exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code, gain privileges, spoof user interface, cause denial of service, obtain sensitive information.\n\n### *Exploitation*:\nMalware exists for this vulnerability. Usually such malware is classified as Exploit. [More details](<https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/class/Exploit/>).\n\n### *Affected products*:\nWindows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems \nWindows 10 Version 20H2 for x64-based Systems \nWindows 10 Version 1909 for ARM64-based Systems \nWindows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 \nWindows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 \nWindows 8.1 for 32-bit systems \nWindows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) \nWindows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems \nWindows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) \nWindows 10 for x64-based Systems \nWindows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) \nWindows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 \nWindows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) \nWindows 10 Version 2004 for ARM64-based Systems \nWindows 10 Version 1909 for 32-bit Systems \nWindows Server 2019 \nWindows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) \nWindows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems 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version 2004 (Server Core installation)\n\n### *Solution*:\nInstall necessary updates from the KB section, that are listed in your Windows Update (Windows Update usually can be accessed from the Control Panel)\n\n### *Original advisories*:\n[CVE-2021-36948](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36948>) \n[CVE-2021-26424](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26424>) \n[CVE-2021-26433](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26433>) \n[CVE-2021-36945](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36945>) \n[CVE-2021-26432](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26432>) \n[CVE-2021-36926](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36926>) \n[CVE-2021-36942](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36942>) \n[CVE-2021-36947](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36947>) \n[CVE-2021-34487](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34487>) \n[CVE-2021-34530](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34530>) \n[CVE-2021-34480](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34480>) \n[CVE-2021-34534](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34534>) \n[CVE-2021-36927](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36927>) \n[CVE-2021-34486](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34486>) \n[CVE-2021-36932](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36932>) \n[CVE-2021-34533](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34533>) \n[CVE-2021-34537](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34537>) \n[CVE-2021-36937](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36937>) \n[CVE-2021-36936](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36936>) \n[CVE-2021-26425](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26425>) \n[CVE-2021-34483](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34483>) \n[CVE-2021-26431](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26431>) \n[CVE-2021-26426](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26426>) \n[CVE-2021-34536](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34536>) \n[CVE-2021-34484](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34484>) \n[CVE-2021-34535](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34535>) \n[CVE-2021-36933](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36933>) \n[CVE-2021-36938](<https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36938>) \n\n\n### *Impacts*:\nACE \n\n### *Related products*:\n[Microsoft Windows](<https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/product/Microsoft-Windows/>)\n\n### *KB list*:\n[4023814](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/4023814>) \n[5005036](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005036>) \n[5005031](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005031>) \n[5005033](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005033>) \n[5005030](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005030>) \n[5005106](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005106>) \n[5005040](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005040>) \n[5005099](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005099>) \n[5005043](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005043>) \n[5005076](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005076>) \n[5005094](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5005094>) \n[5011535](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5011535>) \n[5011564](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5011564>) \n[5011560](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5011560>) \n[5011527](<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/5011527>)\n\n### *Microsoft official advisories*:", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 9.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T00:00:00", "type": "kaspersky", "title": "KLA12259 Multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 7.5, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 6.4, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26425", "CVE-2021-26426", "CVE-2021-26431", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-26433", "CVE-2021-34480", "CVE-2021-34483", "CVE-2021-34484", "CVE-2021-34486", "CVE-2021-34487", "CVE-2021-34530", "CVE-2021-34533", "CVE-2021-34534", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-34536", "CVE-2021-34537", "CVE-2021-36926", "CVE-2021-36927", "CVE-2021-36932", "CVE-2021-36933", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36937", "CVE-2021-36938", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36945", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948"], "modified": "2022-10-18T00:00:00", "id": "KLA12259", "href": "https://threats.kaspersky.com/en/vulnerability/KLA12259/", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "qualysblog": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-21T10:10:11", "description": "### Microsoft Patch Tuesday \u2013 August 2021\n\nMicrosoft patched 51 vulnerabilities in their August 2021 Patch Tuesday release, and 7 of them are rated as critical severity. Three 0-day vulnerability patches were included in the release.\n\n#### Critical Microsoft Vulnerabilities Patched\n\n[CVE-2021-36942](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36942>) - Windows LSA Spoofing Vulnerability\n\nAn unauthenticated attacker could call a method on the LSARPC interface and coerce the domain controller to authenticate against another server using NTLM. A malicious user can use this attack to take complete control over windows domain Per Microsoft, this vulnerability affects all servers, but domain controllers should be prioritized in terms of applying security updates.\n\n[CVE-2021-34481](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34481>) \u2013 Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability\n\nA remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. This Patch Tuesday Microsoft released security updates to address this vulnerability and should be prioritized.\n\n#### Three 0-Day Vulnerabilities Patched\n\n * [CVE-2021-36936](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36936>) - Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability\n * [CVE-2021-36942](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36942>) - Windows LSA Spoofing Vulnerability\n * [CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>) - Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability - This has been actively exploited, per Microsoft.\n\n#### Qualys QIDs Providing Coverage\n\n**QID**| **Title**| **Severity**| **CVE ID** \n---|---|---|--- \n110388| Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server Multiple Vulnerabilities August 2021| Medium| [_CVE-2021-36940_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36940>) \n110389| Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Services and Web Apps Security Update August 2021 | High| [_CVE-2021-34478_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34478>), [_CVE-2021-36941_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36941>) \n375798| Microsoft Azure CycleCloud Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability August 2021 | Medium| [_CVE-2021-33762_](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-33762>), [_CVE-2021-36943_](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36943>), [_KB3142345_](<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=103313>) \n91801| Microsoft Dynamics Business Central Cross-Site (XSS) Scripting Vulnerability August 2021 | Medium | [_CVE-2021-36946_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36946>) \n91802| Microsoft Windows Security Update for August 2021 \n \n | High| CVE-2021-26424, [_CVE-2021-26425_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26425>), [_CVE-2021-26426_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26426>), [_CVE-2021-26431_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26431>), [_CVE-2021-26432_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26432>), [_CVE-2021-26433_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26433>), [_CVE-2021-34480_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34480>), [_CVE-2021-34483_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34483>), [_CVE-2021-34484_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34484>), [_CVE-2021-34486_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34486>), [_CVE-2021-34487_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34487>), [_CVE-2021-34530_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34530>), [_CVE-2021-34533_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34533>), [_CVE-2021-34534_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34534>), [_CVE-2021-34535_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34535>), [_CVE-2021-34536_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34536>), [_CVE-2021-34537_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34537>), [_CVE-2021-36926_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36926>), [_CVE-2021-36927_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36927>), [_CVE-2021-36932_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36932>), [_CVE-2021-36933_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36933>), [_CVE-2021-36936_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36936>), [_CVE-2021-36937_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36937>), [_CVE-2021-36938_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36938>), [_CVE-2021-36947_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36947>), [_CVE-2021-36948_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36948>) \n91803| Microsoft Windows Local Security Authority (LSA) Spoofing Vulnerability August 2021 | High| [_CVE-2021-36942_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36942>) \n91804| Microsoft Windows Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability August 2021 | Medium| [_CVE-2021-34471_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34471>) \n91805| Microsoft Windows 10 Update Assistant Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability August 2021 | Medium | [_CVE-2021-36945_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36945>) \n91806| Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect Authentication Bypass Vulnerability August 2021 | Medium| [_CVE-2021-36949_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36949>) \n91774| Microsoft .NET Core and ASP.NET Core Security Update for August 2021 | High| [_CVE-2021-26423_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26423>), [_CVE-2021-34485_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34485>), [_CVE-2021-34532_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34532>) \n91809| Microsoft Visual Studio Security Update for August 2021 | Medium| [_CVE-2021-26423_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-26423>), [_CVE-2021-34485_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34485>), [_CVE-2021-34532_](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-34532>) \n \n### Adobe Patch Tuesday \u2013 August 2021\n\nAdobe addressed 29 CVEs this Patch Tuesday impacting Adobe Connect and Magento product. The patches for Magento are labeled as [Priority 2](<https://helpx.adobe.com/security/severity-ratings.html>), while the remaining patches are set to [Priority 3](<https://helpx.adobe.com/security/severity-ratings.html>).\n\n**Adobe Security Bulletin**| **QID**| **Severity**| **CVE ID** \n---|---|---|--- \nAdobe Connect Multiple Vulnerabilities (APSB21-66) | 730152| Medium| [CVE-2021-36061](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36061>), [CVE-2021-36062](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36062>), [CVE-2021-36063](<https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36063>) \n \n### Discover Patch Tuesday Vulnerabilities in VMDR\n\nQualys VMDR automatically detects new Patch Tuesday vulnerabilities using continuous updates to its Knowledge Base (KB).\n\nYou can see all your impacted hosts by these vulnerabilities using the following QQL query:\n\n`vulnerabilities.vulnerability:(qid:`91774` OR qid:`91801` OR qid:`91802` OR qid:`91803` OR qid:`91804` OR qid:`91805` OR qid:`91806` OR qid:`91809` OR qid:`375798` OR qid:`110389` OR qid:`110388` OR qid:`730152`)`\n\n\n\n### Respond by Patching\n\nVMDR rapidly remediates Windows hosts by deploying the most relevant and applicable per-technology version patches. You can simply select respective QIDs in the Patch Catalog and filter on the \u201cMissing\u201d patches to identify and deploy the applicable, available patches in one go.\n\nThe following QQL will return the missing patches pertaining to this Patch Tuesday.\n\n`(qid:`91774` OR qid:`91801` OR qid:`91802` OR qid:`91803` OR qid:`91804` OR qid:`91805` OR qid:`91806` OR qid:`91809` OR qid:`375798` OR qid:`110389` OR qid:`110388` OR qid:`730152`)`\n\n\n\n### Patch Tuesday Dashboard\n\nThe current updated Patch Tuesday dashboards are available in [Dashboard Toolbox: 2021 Patch Tuesday Dashboard](<https://success.qualys.com/discussions/s/article/000006505>).\n\n### Webinar Series: This Month in Vulnerabilities and Patches\n\nTo help customers leverage the seamless integration between Qualys VMDR and Patch Management and reduce the median time to remediate critical vulnerabilities, the Qualys Research team is hosting a monthly webinar series [_This Month in Vulnerabilities and Patches_](<https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/11673/502309>).\n\nWe discuss some of the key vulnerabilities disclosed in the past month and how to patch them:\n\n * Microsoft Patch Tuesday, August 2021\n * Adobe Patch Tuesday, August 2021\n\n[Join us live or watch on demand!](<https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/11673/502309>)\n\n[Webinar August 12, 2021 or on demand](<https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/11673/502309>).\n\n### About Patch Tuesday\n\nPatch Tuesday QIDs are published at [Security Alerts](<https://www.qualys.com/research/security-alerts/>), typically late in the evening of [Patch Tuesday](<https://blog.qualys.com/tag/patch-tuesday>), followed shortly after by [PT dashboards](<https://qualys-secure.force.com/discussions/s/article/000006505>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 1.8, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "HIGH", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "LOCAL", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 7.8, "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2021-08-10T19:58:49", "type": "qualysblog", "title": "Microsoft and Adobe Patch Tuesday (August 2021) \u2013 Microsoft 51 Vulnerabilities with 7 Critical, Adobe 29 Vulnerabilities", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "MEDIUM", "exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "PARTIAL", "availabilityImpact": "PARTIAL", "integrityImpact": "PARTIAL", "baseScore": 4.6, "vectorString": "AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "LOCAL", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 6.4, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26423", "CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26425", "CVE-2021-26426", "CVE-2021-26431", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-26433", "CVE-2021-33762", "CVE-2021-34471", "CVE-2021-34478", "CVE-2021-34480", "CVE-2021-34481", "CVE-2021-34483", "CVE-2021-34484", "CVE-2021-34485", "CVE-2021-34486", "CVE-2021-34487", "CVE-2021-34530", "CVE-2021-34532", "CVE-2021-34533", "CVE-2021-34534", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-34536", "CVE-2021-34537", "CVE-2021-36061", "CVE-2021-36062", "CVE-2021-36063", "CVE-2021-36926", "CVE-2021-36927", "CVE-2021-36932", "CVE-2021-36933", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36937", "CVE-2021-36938", "CVE-2021-36940", "CVE-2021-36941", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36943", "CVE-2021-36945", "CVE-2021-36946", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2021-36949"], "modified": "2021-08-10T19:58:49", "id": "QUALYSBLOG:0F0ACCA731E84F3B1067935E483FC950", "href": "https://blog.qualys.com/category/vulnerabilities-threat-research", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}, {"lastseen": "2021-11-09T06:36:02", "description": "[Start your VMDR 30-day, no-cost trial today](<https://www.qualys.com/forms/vmdr/>)\n\n## Overview\n\nOn November 3, 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a [Binding Operational Directive 22-01](<https://cyber.dhs.gov/bod/22-01/>), "Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities." [This directive](<https://www.cisa.gov/news/2021/11/03/cisa-releases-directive-reducing-significant-risk-known-exploited-vulnerabilities>) recommends urgent and prioritized remediation of the vulnerabilities that adversaries are actively exploiting. It establishes a CISA-managed catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities that carry significant risk to the federal government and establishes requirements for agencies to remediate these vulnerabilities.\n\nThis directive requires agencies to review and update agency internal vulnerability management procedures within 60 days according to this directive and remediate each vulnerability according to the timelines outlined in 'CISA's vulnerability catalog.\n\nQualys helps customers to identify and assess risk to organizations' digital infrastructure and automate remediation. Qualys' guidance for rapid response to Operational Directive is below.\n\n## Directive Scope\n\nThis directive applies to all software and hardware found on federal information systems managed on agency premises or hosted by third parties on an agency's behalf.\n\nHowever, CISA strongly recommends that private businesses and state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments prioritize the mitigation of vulnerabilities listed in CISA's public catalog.\n\n## CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities\n\nIn total, CISA posted a list of [291 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)](<https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog>) that pose the highest risk to federal agencies. The Qualys Research team has mapped all these CVEs to applicable QIDs. You can view the complete list of CVEs and the corresponding QIDs [here](<https://success.qualys.com/discussions/s/article/000006791>).\n\n### Not all vulnerabilities are created equal\n\nOur quick review of the 291 CVEs posted by CISA suggests that not all vulnerabilities hold the same priority. CISA has ordered U.S. federal enterprises to apply patches as soon as possible. The remediation guidance can be grouped into three distinct categories:\n\n#### Category 1 \u2013 Past Due\n\nRemediation of 15 CVEs (~5%) are already past due. These vulnerabilities include some of the most significant exploits in the recent past, including PrintNightmare, SigRed, ZeroLogon, and vulnerabilities in CryptoAPI, Pulse Secure, and more. Qualys Patch Management can help you remediate most of these vulnerabilities.\n\n#### Category 2 \u2013 Patch in less than two weeks\n\n100 (34%) Vulnerabilities need to be patched in the next two weeks, or by **November 17, 2022**.\n\n#### Category 3 \u2013 Patch within six months\n\nThe remaining 176 vulnerabilities (60%) must be patched within the next six months or by **May 3, 2022**.\n\n## Detect CISA's Vulnerabilities Using Qualys VMDR\n\nThe Qualys Research team has released several remote and authenticated detections (QIDs) for the vulnerabilities. Since the directive includes 291 CVEs, we recommend executing your search based on vulnerability criticality, release date, or other categories.\n\nFor example, to detect critical CVEs released in 2021:\n\n_vulnerabilities.vulnerability.criticality:CRITICAL and vulnerabilities.vulnerability.cveIds:[ `CVE-2021-1497`,`CVE-2021-1498`,`CVE-2021-1647`,`CVE-2021-1675`,`CVE-2021-1732`,`CVE-2021-1782`,`CVE-2021-1870`,`CVE-2021-1871`,`CVE-2021-1879`,`CVE-2021-1905`,`CVE-2021-1906`,`CVE-2021-20016`,`CVE-2021-21017`,`CVE-2021-21148`,`CVE-2021-21166`,`CVE-2021-21193`,`CVE-2021-21206`,`CVE-2021-21220`,`CVE-2021-21224`,`CVE-2021-21972`,`CVE-2021-21985`,`CVE-2021-22005`,`CVE-2021-22205`,`CVE-2021-22502`,`CVE-2021-22893`,`CVE-2021-22894`,`CVE-2021-22899`,`CVE-2021-22900`,`CVE-2021-22986`,`CVE-2021-26084`,`CVE-2021-26411`,`CVE-2021-26855`,`CVE-2021-26857`,`CVE-2021-26858`,`CVE-2021-27059`,`CVE-2021-27065`,`CVE-2021-27085`,`CVE-2021-27101`,`CVE-2021-27102`,`CVE-2021-27103`,`CVE-2021-27104`,`CVE-2021-28310`,`CVE-2021-28550`,`CVE-2021-28663`,`CVE-2021-28664`,`CVE-2021-30116`,`CVE-2021-30551`,`CVE-2021-30554`,`CVE-2021-30563`,`CVE-2021-30632`,`CVE-2021-30633`,`CVE-2021-30657`,`CVE-2021-30661`,`CVE-2021-30663`,`CVE-2021-30665`,`CVE-2021-30666`,`CVE-2021-30713`,`CVE-2021-30761`,`CVE-2021-30762`,`CVE-2021-30807`,`CVE-2021-30858`,`CVE-2021-30860`,`CVE-2021-30860`,`CVE-2021-30869`,`CVE-2021-31199`,`CVE-2021-31201`,`CVE-2021-31207`,`CVE-2021-31955`,`CVE-2021-31956`,`CVE-2021-31979`,`CVE-2021-33739`,`CVE-2021-33742`,`CVE-2021-33771`,`CVE-2021-34448`,`CVE-2021-34473`,`CVE-2021-34523`,`CVE-2021-34527`,`CVE-2021-35211`,`CVE-2021-36741`,`CVE-2021-36742`,`CVE-2021-36942`,`CVE-2021-36948`,`CVE-2021-36955`,`CVE-2021-37973`,`CVE-2021-37975`,`CVE-2021-37976`,`CVE-2021-38000`,`CVE-2021-38003`,`CVE-2021-38645`,`CVE-2021-38647`,`CVE-2021-38647`,`CVE-2021-38648`,`CVE-2021-38649`,`CVE-2021-40444`,`CVE-2021-40539`,`CVE-2021-41773`,`CVE-2021-42013`,`CVE-2021-42258` ]_\n\n\n\nUsing [Qualys VMDR](<https://www.qualys.com/subscriptions/vmdr/>), you can effectively prioritize those vulnerabilities using the VMDR Prioritization report.\n\n\n\nIn addition, you can locate a vulnerable host through Qualys Threat Protection by simply clicking on the impacted hosts to effectively identify and track this vulnerability.\n\n\n\nWith Qualys Unified Dashboard, you can track your exposure to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities and gather your status and overall management in real-time. With trending enabled for dashboard widgets, you can keep track of the status of the vulnerabilities in your environment using the ["CISA 2010-21| KNOWN EXPLOITED VULNERABILITIES"](<https://success.qualys.com/support/s/article/000006791>) Dashboard.\n\n### Detailed Operational Dashboard:\n\n\n\n### Summary Dashboard High Level Structured by Vendor:\n\n\n\n## Remediation\n\nTo comply with this directive, federal agencies must remediate most "Category 2" vulnerabilities by **November 17, 2021**, and "Category 3" by May 3, 2021. Qualys Patch Management can help streamline the remediation of many of these vulnerabilities.\n\nCustomers can copy the following query into the Patch Management app to help customers comply with the directive's aggressive remediation date of November 17, 2021. Running this query will find all required patches and allow quick and efficient deployment of those missing patches to all assets directly from within the Qualys Cloud Platform.\n\ncve:[`CVE-2021-1497`,`CVE-2021-1498`,`CVE-2021-1647`,`CVE-2021-1675`,`CVE-2021-1732`,`CVE-2021-1782`,`CVE-2021-1870`,`CVE-2021-1871`,`CVE-2021-1879`,`CVE-2021-1905`,`CVE-2021-1906`,`CVE-2021-20016`,`CVE-2021-21017`,`CVE-2021-21148`,`CVE-2021-21166`,`CVE-2021-21193`,`CVE-2021-21206`,`CVE-2021-21220`,`CVE-2021-21224`,`CVE-2021-21972`,`CVE-2021-21985`,`CVE-2021-22005`,`CVE-2021-22205`,`CVE-2021-22502`,`CVE-2021-22893`,`CVE-2021-22894`,`CVE-2021-22899`,`CVE-2021-22900`,`CVE-2021-22986`,`CVE-2021-26084`,`CVE-2021-26411`,`CVE-2021-26855`,`CVE-2021-26857`,`CVE-2021-26858`,`CVE-2021-27059`,`CVE-2021-27065`,`CVE-2021-27085`,`CVE-2021-27101`,`CVE-2021-27102`,`CVE-2021-27103`,`CVE-2021-27104`,`CVE-2021-28310`,`CVE-2021-28550`,`CVE-2021-28663`,`CVE-2021-28664`,`CVE-2021-30116`,`CVE-2021-30551`,`CVE-2021-30554`,`CVE-2021-30563`,`CVE-2021-30632`,`CVE-2021-30633`,`CVE-2021-30657`,`CVE-2021-30661`,`CVE-2021-30663`,`CVE-2021-30665`,`CVE-2021-30666`,`CVE-2021-30713`,`CVE-2021-30761`,`CVE-2021-30762`,`CVE-2021-30807`,`CVE-2021-30858`,`CVE-2021-30860`,`CVE-2021-30860`,`CVE-2021-30869`,`CVE-2021-31199`,`CVE-2021-31201`,`CVE-2021-31207`,`CVE-2021-31955`,`CVE-2021-31956`,`CVE-2021-31979`,`CVE-2021-33739`,`CVE-2021-33742`,`CVE-2021-33771`,`CVE-2021-34448`,`CVE-2021-34473`,`CVE-2021-34523`,`CVE-2021-34527`,`CVE-2021-35211`,`CVE-2021-36741`,`CVE-2021-36742`,`CVE-2021-36942`,`CVE-2021-36948`,`CVE-2021-36955`,`CVE-2021-37973`,`CVE-2021-37975`,`CVE-2021-37976`,`CVE-2021-38000`,`CVE-2021-38003`,`CVE-2021-38645`,`CVE-2021-38647`,`CVE-2021-38647`,`CVE-2021-38648`,`CVE-2021-38649`,`CVE-2021-40444`,`CVE-2021-40539`,`CVE-2021-41773`,`CVE-2021-42013`,`CVE-2021-42258` ]\n\n\n\nQualys patch content covers many Microsoft, Linux, and third-party applications; however, some of the vulnerabilities introduced by CISA are not currently supported out-of-the-box by Qualys. To remediate those vulnerabilities, Qualys provides the ability to deploy custom patches. The flexibility to customize patch deployment allows customers to patch the remaining CVEs in this list.\n\nNote that the due date for \u201cCategory 1\u201d patches has already passed. To find missing patches in your environment for \u201cCategory 1\u201d past due CVEs, copy the following query into the Patch Management app:\n\ncve:['CVE-2021-1732\u2032,'CVE-2020-1350\u2032,'CVE-2020-1472\u2032,'CVE-2021-26855\u2032,'CVE-2021-26858\u2032,'CVE-2021-27065\u2032,'CVE-2020-0601\u2032,'CVE-2021-26857\u2032,'CVE-2021-22893\u2032,'CVE-2020-8243\u2032,'CVE-2021-22900\u2032,'CVE-2021-22894\u2032,'CVE-2020-8260\u2032,'CVE-2021-22899\u2032,'CVE-2019-11510']\n\n\n\n## Federal Enterprises and Agencies Can Act Now\n\nFor federal enterprises and agencies, it's a race against time to remediate these vulnerabilities across their respective environments and achieve compliance with this binding directive. Qualys solutions can help achieve compliance with this binding directive. Qualys Cloud Platform is FedRAMP authorized, with [107 FedRAMP authorizations](<https://marketplace.fedramp.gov/#!/product/qualys-cloud-platform?sort=-authorizations>).\n\nHere are a few steps Federal enterprises can take immediately:\n\n * Run vulnerability assessments against all your assets by leveraging various sensors such as Qualys agent, scanners, and more\n * Prioritize remediation by due dates\n * Identify all vulnerable assets automatically mapped into the threat feed\n * Use Patch Management to apply patches and other configurations changes\n * Track remediation progress through Unified Dashboards\n\n## Summary\n\nUnderstanding vulnerabilities is a critical but partial part of threat mitigation. Qualys VMDR helps customers discover, assess threats, assign risk, and remediate threats in one solution. Qualys customers rely on the accuracy of Qualys' threat intelligence to protect their digital environments and stay current with patch guidance. Using Qualys VMDR can help any organization efficiently respond to the CISA directive.\n\n## Getting Started\n\nLearn how [Qualys VMDR](<https://www.qualys.com/subscriptions/vmdr/>) provides actionable vulnerability guidance and automates remediation in one solution. Ready to get started? Sign up for a 30-day, no-cost [VMDR trial](<https://www.qualys.com/forms/vmdr/>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "CHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 10.0, "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 6.0}, "published": "2021-11-09T06:15:01", "type": "qualysblog", "title": "Qualys Response to CISA Alert: Binding Operational Directive 22-01", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 10.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": false, "impactScore": 10.0, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2019-11510", "CVE-2020-0601", "CVE-2020-1350", "CVE-2020-1472", "CVE-2020-8243", "CVE-2020-8260", "CVE-2021-1497", "CVE-2021-1498", "CVE-2021-1647", "CVE-2021-1675", "CVE-2021-1732", "CVE-2021-1782", "CVE-2021-1870", "CVE-2021-1871", "CVE-2021-1879", "CVE-2021-1905", "CVE-2021-1906", "CVE-2021-20016", "CVE-2021-21017", "CVE-2021-21148", "CVE-2021-21166", "CVE-2021-21193", "CVE-2021-21206", "CVE-2021-21220", "CVE-2021-21224", "CVE-2021-21972", "CVE-2021-21985", "CVE-2021-22005", "CVE-2021-22205", "CVE-2021-22502", "CVE-2021-22893", "CVE-2021-22894", "CVE-2021-22899", "CVE-2021-22900", "CVE-2021-22986", "CVE-2021-26084", "CVE-2021-26411", "CVE-2021-26855", "CVE-2021-26857", "CVE-2021-26858", "CVE-2021-27059", "CVE-2021-27065", "CVE-2021-27085", "CVE-2021-27101", "CVE-2021-27102", "CVE-2021-27103", "CVE-2021-27104", "CVE-2021-28310", "CVE-2021-28550", "CVE-2021-28663", "CVE-2021-28664", "CVE-2021-30116", "CVE-2021-30551", "CVE-2021-30554", "CVE-2021-30563", "CVE-2021-30632", "CVE-2021-30633", "CVE-2021-30657", "CVE-2021-30661", "CVE-2021-30663", "CVE-2021-30665", "CVE-2021-30666", "CVE-2021-30713", "CVE-2021-30761", "CVE-2021-30762", "CVE-2021-30807", "CVE-2021-30858", "CVE-2021-30860", "CVE-2021-30869", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-31207", "CVE-2021-31955", "CVE-2021-31956", "CVE-2021-31979", "CVE-2021-33739", "CVE-2021-33742", "CVE-2021-33771", "CVE-2021-34448", "CVE-2021-34473", "CVE-2021-34523", "CVE-2021-34527", "CVE-2021-35211", "CVE-2021-36741", "CVE-2021-36742", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2021-36955", "CVE-2021-37973", "CVE-2021-37975", "CVE-2021-37976", "CVE-2021-38000", "CVE-2021-38003", "CVE-2021-38645", "CVE-2021-38647", "CVE-2021-38648", "CVE-2021-38649", "CVE-2021-40444", "CVE-2021-40539", "CVE-2021-41773", "CVE-2021-42013", "CVE-2021-42258"], "modified": "2021-11-09T06:15:01", "id": "QUALYSBLOG:BC22CE22A3E70823D5F0E944CBD5CE4A", "href": "https://blog.qualys.com/category/vulnerabilities-threat-research", "cvss": {"score": 10.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}, {"lastseen": "2022-02-25T19:27:09", "description": "_CISA released a directive in November 2021, recommending urgent and prioritized remediation of actively exploited vulnerabilities. Both government agencies and corporations should heed this advice. This blog outlines how Qualys Vulnerability Management, Detection & Response can be used by any organization to respond to this directive efficiently and effectively._\n\n### Situation\n\nLast November 2021, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a [Binding Operational Directive 22-01](<https://cyber.dhs.gov/bod/22-01/>) called \u201cReducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities.\u201d [This directive](<https://www.cisa.gov/news/2021/11/03/cisa-releases-directive-reducing-significant-risk-known-exploited-vulnerabilities>) recommends urgent and prioritized remediation of the vulnerabilities that adversaries are actively exploiting. It establishes a CISA-managed catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities that carry significant risk to the federal government and sets requirements for agencies to remediate these vulnerabilities.\n\nThis directive requires federal agencies to review and update internal vulnerability management procedures to remediate each vulnerability according to the timelines outlined in CISA\u2019s vulnerability catalog.\n\n### Directive Scope\n\nThis CISA directive applies to all software and hardware found on federal information systems managed on agency premises or hosted by third parties on an agency\u2019s behalf.\n\nHowever, CISA strongly recommends that public and private businesses as well as state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments prioritize the mitigation of vulnerabilities listed in CISA\u2019s public catalog. This is truly vulnerability management guidance for all organizations to heed.\n\n### CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities\n\nIn total, CISA posted a list of [379 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs)](<https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog>) that pose the highest risk to federal agencies. CISA\u2019s most recent update was issued on February 22, 2022.\n\nThe Qualys Research team is continuously updating CVEs to available QIDs (Qualys vulnerability identifiers) in the Qualys Knowledgebase, with the RTI field \u201cCISA Exploited\u201d and this is going to be a continuous approach, as CISA frequently amends with the latest CVE as part of their regular feeds.\n\nOut of these vulnerabilities, Directive 22-01 urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by effectively prioritizing the remediation of the identified Vulnerabilities.\n\nCISA has ordered U.S. federal agencies to apply patches as soon as possible. The remediation guidance is grouped into multiple categories by CISA based on attack surface severity and time-to-remediate. The timelines are available in the [Catalog](<https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog>) for each of the CVEs.\n\n### Detect CISA Vulnerabilities Using Qualys VMDR\n\nQualys helps customers to identify and assess the risk to their organizations\u2019 digital infrastructure, and then to automate remediation. Qualys\u2019 guidance for rapid response to Directive 22-01 follows.\n\nThe Qualys Research team has released multiple remote and authenticated detections (QIDs) for these vulnerabilities. Since the directive includes 379 CVEs (as of February 22, 2022) we recommend executing your search based on QQL (Qualys Query Language), as shown here for released QIDs by Qualys **_vulnerabilities.vulnerability.threatIntel.cisaKnownExploitedVulns:"true"_**\n\n\n\n### CISA Exploited RTI\n\nUsing [Qualys VMDR](<https://www.qualys.com/subscriptions/vmdr/>), you can effectively prioritize those vulnerabilities using VMDR Prioritization. Qualys has introduced an **RTI Category, CISA Exploited**.\n\nThis RTI indicates that the vulnerabilities are associated with the CISA catalog.\n\n\n\nIn addition, you can locate a vulnerable host through Qualys Threat Protection by simply clicking on the impacted hosts to effectively identify and track this vulnerability.\n\n\n\nWith Qualys Unified Dashboard, you can track your exposure to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities and track your status and overall management in real-time. With dashboard widgets, you can keep track of the status of vulnerabilities in your environment using the [\u201cCISA 2010-21| KNOWN EXPLOITED VULNERABILITIES\u201d](<https://success.qualys.com/support/s/article/000006791>) Dashboard.\n\n### Detailed Operational Dashboard\n\n\n\n### Remediation\n\nTo comply with this directive, federal agencies need to remediate all vulnerabilities as per the remediation timelines suggested in [CISA Catalog](<https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog>)**.**\n\nQualys patch content covers many Microsoft, Linux, and third-party applications. However, some of the vulnerabilities introduced by CISA are not currently supported out-of-the-box by Qualys. To remediate those vulnerabilities, Qualys provides the ability to deploy custom patches. The flexibility to customize patch deployment allows customers to patch all the remaining CVEs in their list.\n\nCustomers can copy the following query into the Patch Management app to help customers comply with the directive\u2019s aggressive remediation timelines set by CISA. Running this query for specific CVEs will find required patches and allow quick and efficient deployment of those missing patches to all assets directly from within Qualys Cloud Platform.\n \n \n cve:[`CVE-2010-5326`,`CVE-2012-0158`,`CVE-2012-0391`,`CVE-2012-3152`,`CVE-2013-3900`,`CVE-2013-3906`,`CVE-2014-1761`,`CVE-2014-1776`,`CVE-2014-1812`,`CVE-2015-1635`,`CVE-2015-1641`,`CVE-2015-4852`,`CVE-2016-0167`,`CVE-2016-0185`,`CVE-2016-3088`,`CVE-2016-3235`,`CVE-2016-3643`,`CVE-2016-3976`,`CVE-2016-7255`,`CVE-2016-9563`,`CVE-2017-0143`,`CVE-2017-0144`,`CVE-2017-0145`,`CVE-2017-0199`,`CVE-2017-0262`,`CVE-2017-0263`,`CVE-2017-10271`,`CVE-2017-11774`,`CVE-2017-11882`,`CVE-2017-5638`,`CVE-2017-5689`,`CVE-2017-6327`,`CVE-2017-7269`,`CVE-2017-8464`,`CVE-2017-8759`,`CVE-2017-9791`,`CVE-2017-9805`,`CVE-2017-9841`,`CVE-2018-0798`,`CVE-2018-0802`,`CVE-2018-1000861`,`CVE-2018-11776`,`CVE-2018-15961`,`CVE-2018-15982`,`CVE-2018-2380`,`CVE-2018-4878`,`CVE-2018-4939`,`CVE-2018-6789`,`CVE-2018-7600`,`CVE-2018-8174`,`CVE-2018-8453`,`CVE-2018-8653`,`CVE-2019-0193`,`CVE-2019-0211`,`CVE-2019-0541`,`CVE-2019-0604`,`CVE-2019-0708`,`CVE-2019-0752`,`CVE-2019-0797`,`CVE-2019-0803`,`CVE-2019-0808`,`CVE-2019-0859`,`CVE-2019-0863`,`CVE-2019-10149`,`CVE-2019-10758`,`CVE-2019-11510`,`CVE-2019-11539`,`CVE-2019-1214`,`CVE-2019-1215`,`CVE-2019-1367`,`CVE-2019-1429`,`CVE-2019-1458`,`CVE-2019-16759`,`CVE-2019-17026`,`CVE-2019-17558`,`CVE-2019-18187`,`CVE-2019-18988`,`CVE-2019-2725`,`CVE-2019-8394`,`CVE-2019-9978`,`CVE-2020-0601`,`CVE-2020-0646`,`CVE-2020-0674`,`CVE-2020-0683`,`CVE-2020-0688`,`CVE-2020-0787`,`CVE-2020-0796`,`CVE-2020-0878`,`CVE-2020-0938`,`CVE-2020-0968`,`CVE-2020-0986`,`CVE-2020-10148`,`CVE-2020-10189`,`CVE-2020-1020`,`CVE-2020-1040`,`CVE-2020-1054`,`CVE-2020-1147`,`CVE-2020-11738`,`CVE-2020-11978`,`CVE-2020-1350`,`CVE-2020-13671`,`CVE-2020-1380`,`CVE-2020-13927`,`CVE-2020-1464`,`CVE-2020-1472`,`CVE-2020-14750`,`CVE-2020-14871`,`CVE-2020-14882`,`CVE-2020-14883`,`CVE-2020-15505`,`CVE-2020-15999`,`CVE-2020-16009`,`CVE-2020-16010`,`CVE-2020-16013`,`CVE-2020-16017`,`CVE-2020-17087`,`CVE-2020-17144`,`CVE-2020-17496`,`CVE-2020-17530`,`CVE-2020-24557`,`CVE-2020-25213`,`CVE-2020-2555`,`CVE-2020-6207`,`CVE-2020-6287`,`CVE-2020-6418`,`CVE-2020-6572`,`CVE-2020-6819`,`CVE-2020-6820`,`CVE-2020-8243`,`CVE-2020-8260`,`CVE-2020-8467`,`CVE-2020-8468`,`CVE-2020-8599`,`CVE-2021-1647`,`CVE-2021-1675`,`CVE-2021-1732`,`CVE-2021-21017`,`CVE-2021-21148`,`CVE-2021-21166`,`CVE-2021-21193`,`CVE-2021-21206`,`CVE-2021-21220`,`CVE-2021-21224`,`CVE-2021-22204`,`CVE-2021-22893`,`CVE-2021-22894`,`CVE-2021-22899`,`CVE-2021-22900`,`CVE-2021-26411`,`CVE-2021-26855`,`CVE-2021-26857`,`CVE-2021-26858`,`CVE-2021-27059`,`CVE-2021-27065`,`CVE-2021-27085`,`CVE-2021-28310`,`CVE-2021-28550`,`CVE-2021-30116`,`CVE-2021-30551`,`CVE-2021-30554`,`CVE-2021-30563`,`CVE-2021-30632`,`CVE-2021-30633`,`CVE-2021-31199`,`CVE-2021-31201`,`CVE-2021-31207`,`CVE-2021-31955`,`CVE-2021-31956`,`CVE-2021-31979`,`CVE-2021-33739`,`CVE-2021-33742`,`CVE-2021-33766`,`CVE-2021-33771`,`CVE-2021-34448`,`CVE-2021-34473`,`CVE-2021-34523`,`CVE-2021-34527`,`CVE-2021-35211`,`CVE-2021-35247`,`CVE-2021-36741`,`CVE-2021-36742`,`CVE-2021-36934`,`CVE-2021-36942`,`CVE-2021-36948`,`CVE-2021-36955`,`CVE-2021-37415`,`CVE-2021-37973`,`CVE-2021-37975`,`CVE-2021-37976`,`CVE-2021-38000`,`CVE-2021-38003`,`CVE-2021-38645`,`CVE-2021-38647`,`CVE-2021-38648`,`CVE-2021-38649`,`CVE-2021-40438`,`CVE-2021-40444`,`CVE-2021-40449`,`CVE-2021-40539`,`CVE-2021-4102`,`CVE-2021-41773`,`CVE-2021-42013`,`CVE-2021-42292`,`CVE-2021-42321`,`CVE-2021-43890`,`CVE-2021-44077`,`CVE-2021-44228`,`CVE-2021-44515`,`CVE-2022-0609`,`CVE-2022-21882`,`CVE-2022-24086`,`CVE-2010-1871`,`CVE-2017-12149`,`CVE-2019-13272` ]\n\n\n\nVulnerabilities can be validated through VMDR and a Patch Job can be configured for vulnerable assets.\n\n\n\n### Federal Enterprises and Agencies Can Act Now\n\nFor federal agencies and enterprises, it\u2019s a race against time to remediate these vulnerabilities across their respective environments and achieve compliance with this binding directive. Qualys solutions can help your organization to achieve compliance with this binding directive. Qualys Cloud Platform is FedRAMP authorized, with [107 FedRAMP authorizations](<https://marketplace.fedramp.gov/#!/product/qualys-cloud-platform?sort=-authorizations>) to our credit.\n\nHere are a few steps Federal entities can take immediately:\n\n * Run vulnerability assessments against all of your assets by leveraging our various sensors such as Qualys agent, scanners, and more\n * Prioritize remediation by due dates\n * Identify all vulnerable assets automatically mapped into the threat feed\n * Use Qualys Patch Management to apply patches and other configuration changes\n * Track remediation progress through our Unified Dashboards\n\n### Summary\n\nUnderstanding just which vulnerabilities exist in your environment is a critical but small part of threat mitigation. Qualys VMDR helps customers discover their exposure, assess threats, assign risk, and remediate threats \u2013 all in a single unified solution. Qualys customers rely on the accuracy of Qualys\u2019 threat intelligence to protect their digital environments and stay current with patch guidance. Using Qualys VMDR can help any size organization efficiently respond to CISA Binding Operational Directive 22-01.\n\n#### Getting Started\n\nLearn how [Qualys VMDR](<https://www.qualys.com/subscriptions/vmdr/>) provides actionable vulnerability guidance and automates remediation in one solution. Ready to get started? Sign up for a 30-day, no-cost [VMDR trial](<https://www.qualys.com/forms/vmdr/>).", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "CHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "baseScore": 10.0, "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H", "userInteraction": "NONE", "version": "3.1"}, "impactScore": 6.0}, "published": "2022-02-23T05:39:00", "type": "qualysblog", "title": "Managing CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities with Qualys VMDR", "bulletinFamily": "blog", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 10.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "acInsufInfo": true, "impactScore": 10.0, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2010-1871", "CVE-2010-5326", "CVE-2012-0158", "CVE-2012-0391", "CVE-2012-3152", "CVE-2013-3900", "CVE-2013-3906", "CVE-2014-1761", "CVE-2014-1776", "CVE-2014-1812", "CVE-2015-1635", "CVE-2015-1641", "CVE-2015-4852", "CVE-2016-0167", "CVE-2016-0185", "CVE-2016-3088", "CVE-2016-3235", "CVE-2016-3643", "CVE-2016-3976", "CVE-2016-7255", "CVE-2016-9563", "CVE-2017-0143", "CVE-2017-0144", "CVE-2017-0145", "CVE-2017-0199", "CVE-2017-0262", "CVE-2017-0263", "CVE-2017-10271", "CVE-2017-11774", "CVE-2017-11882", "CVE-2017-12149", "CVE-2017-5638", "CVE-2017-5689", "CVE-2017-6327", "CVE-2017-7269", "CVE-2017-8464", "CVE-2017-8759", "CVE-2017-9791", "CVE-2017-9805", "CVE-2017-9841", "CVE-2018-0798", "CVE-2018-0802", "CVE-2018-1000861", "CVE-2018-11776", "CVE-2018-15961", "CVE-2018-15982", "CVE-2018-2380", "CVE-2018-4878", "CVE-2018-4939", "CVE-2018-6789", "CVE-2018-7600", "CVE-2018-8174", "CVE-2018-8453", "CVE-2018-8653", "CVE-2019-0193", "CVE-2019-0211", "CVE-2019-0541", "CVE-2019-0604", "CVE-2019-0708", "CVE-2019-0752", "CVE-2019-0797", "CVE-2019-0803", "CVE-2019-0808", "CVE-2019-0859", "CVE-2019-0863", "CVE-2019-10149", "CVE-2019-10758", "CVE-2019-11510", "CVE-2019-11539", "CVE-2019-1214", "CVE-2019-1215", "CVE-2019-13272", "CVE-2019-1367", "CVE-2019-1429", "CVE-2019-1458", "CVE-2019-16759", "CVE-2019-17026", "CVE-2019-17558", "CVE-2019-18187", "CVE-2019-18988", "CVE-2019-2725", "CVE-2019-8394", "CVE-2019-9978", "CVE-2020-0601", "CVE-2020-0646", "CVE-2020-0674", "CVE-2020-0683", "CVE-2020-0688", "CVE-2020-0787", "CVE-2020-0796", "CVE-2020-0878", "CVE-2020-0938", "CVE-2020-0968", "CVE-2020-0986", "CVE-2020-10148", "CVE-2020-10189", "CVE-2020-1020", "CVE-2020-1040", "CVE-2020-1054", "CVE-2020-1147", "CVE-2020-11738", "CVE-2020-11978", "CVE-2020-1350", "CVE-2020-13671", "CVE-2020-1380", "CVE-2020-13927", "CVE-2020-1464", "CVE-2020-1472", "CVE-2020-14750", "CVE-2020-14871", "CVE-2020-14882", "CVE-2020-14883", "CVE-2020-15505", "CVE-2020-15999", "CVE-2020-16009", "CVE-2020-16010", "CVE-2020-16013", "CVE-2020-16017", "CVE-2020-17087", "CVE-2020-17144", "CVE-2020-17496", "CVE-2020-17530", "CVE-2020-24557", "CVE-2020-25213", "CVE-2020-2555", "CVE-2020-6207", "CVE-2020-6287", "CVE-2020-6418", "CVE-2020-6572", "CVE-2020-6819", "CVE-2020-6820", "CVE-2020-8243", "CVE-2020-8260", "CVE-2020-8467", "CVE-2020-8468", "CVE-2020-8599", "CVE-2021-1647", "CVE-2021-1675", "CVE-2021-1732", "CVE-2021-21017", "CVE-2021-21148", "CVE-2021-21166", "CVE-2021-21193", "CVE-2021-21206", "CVE-2021-21220", "CVE-2021-21224", "CVE-2021-22204", "CVE-2021-22893", "CVE-2021-22894", "CVE-2021-22899", "CVE-2021-22900", "CVE-2021-26411", "CVE-2021-26855", "CVE-2021-26857", "CVE-2021-26858", "CVE-2021-27059", "CVE-2021-27065", "CVE-2021-27085", "CVE-2021-28310", "CVE-2021-28550", "CVE-2021-30116", "CVE-2021-30551", "CVE-2021-30554", "CVE-2021-30563", "CVE-2021-30632", "CVE-2021-30633", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-31207", "CVE-2021-31955", "CVE-2021-31956", "CVE-2021-31979", "CVE-2021-33739", "CVE-2021-33742", "CVE-2021-33766", "CVE-2021-33771", "CVE-2021-34448", "CVE-2021-34473", "CVE-2021-34523", "CVE-2021-34527", "CVE-2021-35211", "CVE-2021-35247", "CVE-2021-36741", "CVE-2021-36742", "CVE-2021-36934", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2021-36955", "CVE-2021-37415", "CVE-2021-37973", "CVE-2021-37975", "CVE-2021-37976", "CVE-2021-38000", "CVE-2021-38003", "CVE-2021-38645", "CVE-2021-38647", "CVE-2021-38648", "CVE-2021-38649", "CVE-2021-40438", "CVE-2021-40444", "CVE-2021-40449", "CVE-2021-40539", "CVE-2021-4102", "CVE-2021-41773", "CVE-2021-42013", "CVE-2021-42292", "CVE-2021-42321", "CVE-2021-43890", "CVE-2021-44077", "CVE-2021-44228", "CVE-2021-44515", "CVE-2022-0609", "CVE-2022-21882", "CVE-2022-24086"], "modified": "2022-02-23T05:39:00", "id": "QUALYSBLOG:0082A77BD8EFFF48B406D107FEFD0DD3", "href": "https://blog.qualys.com/category/product-tech", "cvss": {"score": 10.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}], "rapid7blog": [{"lastseen": "2021-08-21T10:49:33", "description": "\n\nHot off the press, it\u2019s another issue of the Patch Tuesday blog! While the number of vulnerabilities is low this month, there are a number of high risk items administrators will want to patch right away including a few that will require additional remediation steps. This Patch Tuesday also includes updates for three vulnerabilities that were publicly disclosed earlier this month. Let\u2019s jump in.\n\n## Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability aka HiveNightmare/SeriousSAM\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36934> \nWith a public proof-of-concept having been available for some time, administrators should prioritize taking action on CVE-2021-36934. Remediation for this vulnerability requires volume shadow copies for system files to be deleted. This is due to the nature of the vulnerability, as the files with the vulnerable permissions could be restored from a backup and accessed even after the patch is installed. Microsoft indicates they took caution not to delete users' backups, but the trade-off is that customers will need to do the chore themselves. We've updated [our blog post](<https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2021/07/21/microsoft-sam-file-readability-cve-2021-36934-what-you-need-to-know/>) with this additional information.\n\n## Windows LSA Spoofing Vulnerability aka ADV210003\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36942> \nAnother high priority action for patching teams is CVE-2021-36942. This update patches one of the vectors used in the PetitPotam attack. After applying this update there are additional configurations required in order to protect systems from other attack vectors using registry keys. The InsightVM team has included detection for the registry keys needed to enable EPA and SMB Signing in addition to the normal update. Please see [our blog post](<https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2021/08/03/petitpotam-novel-attack-chain-can-fully-compromise-windows-domains-running-ad-cs/>) for more information.\n\n## Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Remote Code Execution Vulnerability\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26432> \nWhile Microsoft has not offered up any details for this vulnerability we can glean some info from the CVSS information. This remote code execution vulnerability is reachable from the network service with no authentication or user action required. There may not be an exploit available for this yet, but Microsoft indicates that \u201cExploitation [is] more likely\u201d. Put this update near the top of your TODO list.\n\n## Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability\n\n<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26424> \nLast on our list is a vulnerability that can result in remote execution on a Hyper-V host via the IPv6 networking stack. If Hyper-V is used in your environment this should be first on your list this month. \n\n## Summary Graphs\n\n\n\n## Summary Tables\n\n## Azure Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-36949](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36949>) | Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect Authentication Bypass Vulnerability | No | No | 7.1 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-26428](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26428>) | Azure Sphere Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 4.4 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-26429](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26429>) | Azure Sphere Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.7 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-26430](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26430>) | Azure Sphere Denial of Service Vulnerability | No | No | 6 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-33762](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-33762>) | Azure CycleCloud Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7 | No \n[CVE-2021-36943](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36943>) | Azure CycleCloud Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 4 | No \n \n## Browser Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-30597](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30597>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30597 Use after free in Browser UI | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30596](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30596>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30596 Incorrect security UI in Navigation | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30594](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30594>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30594 Use after free in Page Info UI | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30593](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30593>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30593 Out of bounds read in Tab Strip | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30592](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30592>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30592 Out of bounds write in Tab Groups | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30591](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30591>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30591 Use after free in File System API | No | No | | Yes \n[CVE-2021-30590](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-30590>) | Chromium: CVE-2021-30590 Heap buffer overflow in Bookmarks | No | No | | Yes \n \n## Developer Tools Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-34532](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34532>) | ASP.NET Core and Visual Studio Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 5.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-34485](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34485>) | .NET Core and Visual Studio Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-26423](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26423>) | .NET Core and Visual Studio Denial of Service Vulnerability | No | No | 7.5 | No \n \n## Microsoft Dynamics Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-36946](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36946>) | Microsoft Dynamics Business Central Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability | No | No | 5.4 | No \n[CVE-2021-34524](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34524>) | Microsoft Dynamics 365 (on-premises) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 8.1 | No \n[CVE-2021-36950](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36950>) | Microsoft Dynamics 365 (on-premises) Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability | No | No | 5.4 | No \n \n## Microsoft Office Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-36941](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36941>) | Microsoft Word Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-36940](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36940>) | Microsoft SharePoint Server Spoofing Vulnerability | No | No | 7.6 | No \n[CVE-2021-34478](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34478>) | Microsoft Office Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | Yes \n \n## System Center Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-34471](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34471>) | Microsoft Windows Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | Yes \n \n## Windows Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-26426](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26426>) | Windows User Account Profile Picture Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7 | No \n[CVE-2021-36948](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36948>) | Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | Yes | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-26432](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26432>) | Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 9.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-26433](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26433>) | Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 7.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-36926](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36926>) | Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 7.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-36932](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36932>) | Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 7.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-36933](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36933>) | Windows Services for NFS ONCRPC XDR Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 7.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-26431](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26431>) | Windows Recovery Environment Agent Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-34534](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34534>) | Windows MSHTML Platform Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 6.8 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-34530](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34530>) | Windows Graphics Component Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-34486](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34486>) | Windows Event Tracing Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-34487](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34487>) | Windows Event Tracing Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7 | No \n[CVE-2021-36938](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36938>) | Windows Cryptographic Primitives Library Information Disclosure Vulnerability | No | No | 5.5 | No \n[CVE-2021-36945](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36945>) | Windows 10 Update Assistant Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.3 | No \n[CVE-2021-34536](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34536>) | Storage Spaces Controller Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n \n## Windows ESU Vulnerabilities\n\nCVE | Title | Exploited | Disclosed | CVSS3 | FAQ \n---|---|---|---|---|--- \n[CVE-2021-34484](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34484>) | Windows User Profile Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-26424](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26424>) | Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 9.9 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-36936](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36936>) | Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | Yes | 8.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-36947](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36947>) | Windows Print Spooler Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 8.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-34483](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34483>) | Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-36937](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36937>) | Windows Media MPEG-4 Video Decoder Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-36942](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36942>) | Windows LSA Spoofing Vulnerability | No | Yes | 7.5 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-34533](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34533>) | Windows Graphics Component Font Parsing Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-26425](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-26425>) | Windows Event Tracing Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-36927](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-36927>) | Windows Digital TV Tuner device registration application Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | No \n[CVE-2021-34537](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34537>) | Windows Bluetooth Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | No | No | 7.8 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-34480](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34480>) | Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability | No | No | 6.8 | Yes \n[CVE-2021-34535](<https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2021-34535>) | Remote Desktop Client Remote Code Execution Vulnerability | No | No | 8.8 | Yes", "cvss3": {}, "published": "2021-08-11T03:19:33", "type": "rapid7blog", "title": "Patch Tuesday - August 2021", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2021-26423", "CVE-2021-26424", "CVE-2021-26425", "CVE-2021-26426", "CVE-2021-26428", "CVE-2021-26429", "CVE-2021-26430", "CVE-2021-26431", "CVE-2021-26432", "CVE-2021-26433", "CVE-2021-30590", "CVE-2021-30591", "CVE-2021-30592", "CVE-2021-30593", "CVE-2021-30594", "CVE-2021-30596", "CVE-2021-30597", "CVE-2021-33762", "CVE-2021-34471", "CVE-2021-34478", "CVE-2021-34480", "CVE-2021-34483", "CVE-2021-34484", "CVE-2021-34485", "CVE-2021-34486", "CVE-2021-34487", "CVE-2021-34524", "CVE-2021-34530", "CVE-2021-34532", "CVE-2021-34533", "CVE-2021-34534", "CVE-2021-34535", "CVE-2021-34536", "CVE-2021-34537", "CVE-2021-36926", "CVE-2021-36927", "CVE-2021-36932", "CVE-2021-36933", "CVE-2021-36934", "CVE-2021-36936", "CVE-2021-36937", "CVE-2021-36938", "CVE-2021-36940", "CVE-2021-36941", "CVE-2021-36942", "CVE-2021-36943", "CVE-2021-36945", "CVE-2021-36946", "CVE-2021-36947", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2021-36949", "CVE-2021-36950"], "modified": "2021-08-11T03:19:33", "id": "RAPID7BLOG:DE426F8A59CA497BB6C0B90C0F1849CD", "href": "https://blog.rapid7.com/2021/08/11/patch-tuesday-august-2021/", "cvss": {"score": 7.5, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P"}}], "googleprojectzero": [{"lastseen": "2022-08-25T01:57:30", "description": "A Year in Review of 0-days Used In-the-Wild in 2021\n\nPosted by Maddie Stone, Google Project Zero\n\nThis is our third annual year in review of 0-days exploited in-the-wild [[2020](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/02/deja-vu-lnerability.html>), [2019](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2020/07/detection-deficit-year-in-review-of-0.html>)]. Each year we\u2019ve looked back at all of the detected and disclosed in-the-wild 0-days as a group and synthesized what we think the trends and takeaways are. The goal of this report is not to detail each individual exploit, but instead to analyze the exploits from the year as a group, looking for trends, gaps, lessons learned, successes, etc. If you\u2019re interested in the analysis of individual exploits, please check out our [root cause analysis repository](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/p/rca.html>).\n\nWe perform and share this analysis in order to make 0-day hard. We want it to be more costly, more resource intensive, and overall more difficult for attackers to use 0-day capabilities. 2021 highlighted just how important it is to stay relentless in our pursuit to make it harder for attackers to exploit users with 0-days. We heard [over](<https://forbiddenstories.org/about-the-pegasus-project/>) and [over](<https://citizenlab.ca/2021/07/hooking-candiru-another-mercenary-spyware-vendor-comes-into-focus/>) and [over](<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/11/devices-of-palestinian-human-rights-defenders-hacked-with-nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-2/>) about how governments were targeting journalists, minoritized populations, politicians, human rights defenders, and even security researchers around the world. The decisions we make in the security and tech communities can have real impacts on society and our fellow humans\u2019 lives.\n\nWe\u2019ll provide our evidence and process for our conclusions in the body of this post, and then wrap it all up with our thoughts on next steps and hopes for 2022 in the conclusion. If digging into the bits and bytes is not your thing, then feel free to just check-out the Executive Summary and Conclusion.\n\n# Executive Summary\n\n2021 included the detection and disclosure of 58 in-the-wild 0-days, the most ever recorded since Project Zero began tracking in mid-2014. That\u2019s more than double the previous maximum of 28 detected in 2015 and especially stark when you consider that there were only 25 detected in 2020. We\u2019ve tracked publicly known in-the-wild 0-day exploits in [this spreadsheet](<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lkNJ0uQwbeC1ZTRrxdtuPLCIl7mlUreoKfSIgajnSyY/edit#gid=0>) since mid-2014.\n\nWhile we often talk about the number of 0-day exploits used in-the-wild, what we\u2019re actually discussing is the number of 0-day exploits detected and disclosed as in-the-wild. And that leads into our first conclusion: we believe the large uptick in in-the-wild 0-days in 2021 is due to increased detection and disclosure of these 0-days, rather than simply increased usage of 0-day exploits.\n\nWith this record number of in-the-wild 0-days to analyze we saw that attacker methodology hasn\u2019t actually had to change much from previous years. Attackers are having success using the same bug patterns and exploitation techniques and going after the same attack surfaces. Project Zero\u2019s mission is \u201cmake 0day hard\u201d. 0-day will be harder when, overall, attackers are not able to use public methods and techniques for developing their 0-day exploits. When we look over these 58 0-days used in 2021, what we see instead are 0-days that are similar to previous & publicly known vulnerabilities. Only two 0-days stood out as novel: one for the technical sophistication of its exploit and the other for its use of logic bugs to escape the sandbox.\n\nSo while we recognize the industry\u2019s improvement in the detection and disclosure of in-the-wild 0-days, we also acknowledge that there\u2019s a lot more improving to be done. Having access to more \u201cground truth\u201d of how attackers are actually using 0-days shows us that they are able to have success by using previously known techniques and methods rather than having to invest in developing novel techniques. This is a clear area of opportunity for the tech industry.\n\nWe had so many more data points in 2021 to learn about attacker behavior than we\u2019ve had in the past. Having all this data, though, has left us with even more questions than we had before. Unfortunately, attackers who actively use 0-day exploits do not share the 0-days they\u2019re using or what percentage of 0-days we\u2019re missing in our tracking, so we\u2019ll never know exactly what proportion of 0-days are currently being found and disclosed publicly. \n\nBased on our analysis of the 2021 0-days we hope to see the following progress in 2022 in order to continue taking steps towards making 0-day hard:\n\n 1. All vendors agree to disclose the in-the-wild exploitation status of vulnerabilities in their security bulletins.\n 2. Exploit samples or detailed technical descriptions of the exploits are shared more widely.\n 3. Continued concerted efforts on reducing memory corruption vulnerabilities or rendering them unexploitable.Launch mitigations that will significantly impact the exploitability of memory corruption vulnerabilities.\n\n# A Record Year for In-the-Wild 0-days\n\n2021 was a record year for in-the-wild 0-days. So what happened?\n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC72HVhQEdwHNIzMiyb18bUFr6hPCWJiKL2Mm43-tW11qc0ucOPI8A9oChEXQe0-QNOBF83SIcfyjcyvPveuWvgipbiBzHWqZTx2-LilJFYIbx6uQeno9f481HJQ0CgylQkh8Ks7AbGC6tjhYDNBcI7jh6ihhzJATA0r_P4bQUBm-1lmHp2DPvWM6I/s1200/image1%287%29.png>)\n\nIs it that software security is getting worse? Or is it that attackers are using 0-day exploits more? Or has our ability to detect and disclose 0-days increased? When looking at the significant uptick from 2020 to 2021, we think it's mostly explained by the latter. While we believe there has been a steady growth in interest and investment in 0-day exploits by attackers in the past several years, and that security still needs to urgently improve, it appears that the security industry's ability to detect and disclose in-the-wild 0-day exploits is the primary explanation for the increase in observed 0-day exploits in 2021.\n\nWhile we often talk about \u201c0-day exploits used in-the-wild\u201d, what we\u2019re actually tracking are \u201c0-day exploits detected and disclosed as used in-the-wild\u201d. There are more factors than just the use that contribute to an increase in that number, most notably: detection and disclosure. Better detection of 0-day exploits and more transparently disclosed exploited 0-day vulnerabilities is a positive indicator for security and progress in the industry. \n\nOverall, we can break down the uptick in the number of in-the-wild 0-days into:\n\n * More detection of in-the-wild 0-day exploits\n * More public disclosure of in-the-wild 0-day exploitation\n\n## More detection\n\nIn the [2019 Year in Review](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2020/07/detection-deficit-year-in-review-of-0.html>), we wrote about the \u201cDetection Deficit\u201d. We stated \u201cAs a community, our ability to detect 0-days being used in the wild is severely lacking to the point that we can\u2019t draw significant conclusions due to the lack of (and biases in) the data we have collected.\u201d In the last two years, we believe that there\u2019s been progress on this gap. \n\nAnecdotally, we hear from more people that they\u2019ve begun working more on detection of 0-day exploits. Quantitatively, while a very rough measure, we\u2019re also seeing the number of entities credited with reporting in-the-wild 0-days increasing. It stands to reason that if the number of people working on trying to find 0-day exploits increases, then the number of in-the-wild 0-day exploits detected may increase.\n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbFpoEKSSn5AbAzsovaZ0yN6_OFXo9u4hpDCXJBpro8LRUWJlVQ9CSqtzT2V9ohrhOvP3_RnrYsOzFGPK0FZGJmW2713g2vVW82ReJVXpjAZc57BCxtHg8i-6AdR_ThDZB6UKvzAKekbmAkuUBliMyDyWSBW87z4ZZQJC3KX-_ptZIHveotLGoJ9I/s1200/image5%284%29.png>)\n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRS0t_2Bwvc3U_EIr5h7NcWpQyjzHCPb4OMiDpzPxPs587otAEj8bzwch8UMFlgKchwdSq4L_PXRn1O6KGLHUl4X9voLBdZJNQsgQyJcMCVB4Y8-aRHaXRpOYZw7KVtyNYwdWpwX8ILUV1fyG2kDsXVWORsSPUBGVTON90gWf9POhhxA4edxNe1eoV/s1200/image2%285%29.png>)\n\nWe\u2019ve also seen the number of vendors detecting in-the-wild 0-days in their own products increasing. Whether or not these vendors were previously working on detection, vendors seem to have found ways to be more successful in 2021. Vendors likely have the most telemetry and overall knowledge and visibility into their products so it\u2019s important that they are investing in (and hopefully having success in) detecting 0-days targeting their own products. As shown in the chart above, there was a significant increase in the number of in-the-wild 0-days discovered by vendors in their own products. Google discovered 7 of the in-the-wild 0-days in their own products and Microsoft discovered 10 in their products!\n\n## More disclosure\n\nThe second reason why the number of detected in-the-wild 0-days has increased is due to more disclosure of these vulnerabilities. Apple and Google Android (we differentiate \u201cGoogle Android\u201d rather than just \u201cGoogle\u201d because Google Chrome has been annotating their security bulletins for the last few years) first began labeling vulnerabilities in their security advisories with the information about potential in-the-wild exploitation in November 2020 and January 2021 respectively. When vendors don\u2019t annotate their release notes, the only way we know that a 0-day was exploited in-the-wild is if the researcher who discovered the exploitation comes forward. If Apple and Google Android had not begun annotating their release notes, the public would likely not know about at least 7 of the Apple in-the-wild 0-days and 5 of the Android in-the-wild 0-days. Why? Because these vulnerabilities were reported by \u201cAnonymous\u201d reporters. If the reporters didn\u2019t want credit for the vulnerability, it\u2019s unlikely that they would have gone public to say that there were indications of exploitation. That is 12 0-days that wouldn\u2019t have been included in this year\u2019s list if Apple and Google Android had not begun transparently annotating their security advisories. \n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPe_J-0Wu9Ap-0n3Yj5BoXiWTnjViyyGasIChhb3juADZosK9nTbyiaWtzuRyjwG3frQNjLsvRMRoQHrFfo1iKa3GjmcuLHqat40GcoechQ16XbhpVGwF7m_TJ0Oucvy3wvm8x0aXbVnJfhkG2FNkxI4cJf5ONBqEYnPxQDUmZChvByLHE8OzSU20N/s1200/image3%287%29.png>)\n\nKudos and thank you to Microsoft, Google Chrome, and Adobe who have been annotating their security bulletins for transparency for multiple years now! And thanks to Apache who also annotated their release notes for [CVE-2021-41773](<https://httpd.apache.org/security/vulnerabilities_24.html>) this past year. \n\nIn-the-wild 0-days in Qualcomm and ARM products were annotated as in-the-wild in Android security bulletins, but not in the vendor\u2019s own security advisories.\n\nIt's highly likely that in 2021, there were other 0-days that were exploited in the wild and detected, but vendors did not mention this in their release notes. In 2022, we hope that more vendors start noting when they patch vulnerabilities that have been exploited in-the-wild. Until we\u2019re confident that all vendors are transparently disclosing in-the-wild status, there\u2019s a big question of how many in-the-wild 0-days are discovered, but not labeled publicly by vendors.\n\n# New Year, Old Techniques\n\nWe had a record number of \u201cdata points\u201d in 2021 to understand how attackers are actually using 0-day exploits. A bit surprising to us though, out of all those data points, there was nothing new amongst all this data. 0-day exploits are considered one of the most advanced attack methods an actor can use, so it would be easy to conclude that attackers must be using special tricks and attack surfaces. But instead, the 0-days we saw in 2021 generally followed the same bug patterns, attack surfaces, and exploit \u201cshapes\u201d previously seen in public research. Once \u201c0-day is hard\u201d, we\u2019d expect that to be successful, attackers would have to find new bug classes of vulnerabilities in new attack surfaces using never before seen exploitation methods. In general, that wasn't what the data showed us this year. With two exceptions (described below in the iOS section) out of the 58, everything we saw was pretty \u201c[meh](<https://www.dictionary.com/browse/meh#:~:text=unimpressive%3B%20boring%3A>)\u201d or standard.\n\nOut of the 58 in-the-wild 0-days for the year, 39, or 67% were memory corruption vulnerabilities. Memory corruption vulnerabilities have been the standard for attacking software for the last few decades and it\u2019s still how attackers are having success. Out of these memory corruption vulnerabilities, the majority also stuck with very popular and well-known bug classes:\n\n * 17 use-after-free\n * 6 out-of-bounds read & write\n * 4 buffer overflow\n * 4 integer overflow\n\nIn the next sections we\u2019ll dive into each major platform that we saw in-the-wild 0-days for this year. We\u2019ll share the trends and explain why what we saw was pretty unexceptional.\n\n## Chromium (Chrome)\n\nChromium had a record high number of 0-days detected and disclosed in 2021 with 14. Out of these 14, 10 were renderer remote code execution bugs, 2 were sandbox escapes, 1 was an infoleak, and 1 was used to open a webpage in Android apps other than Google Chrome.\n\nThe 14 0-day vulnerabilities were in the following components:\n\n * 6 JavaScript Engine - v8 ([CVE-2021-21148](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_4.html>), [CVE-2021-30551](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_4.html>), [CVE-2021-30563](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html>), [CVE-2021-30632](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-30632.html>), [CVE-2021-37975](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-37975.html>), [CVE-2021-38003](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_28.html>))\n * 2 DOM Engine - Blink ([CVE-2021-21193](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html>) & [CVE-2021-21206](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html>))\n * 1 WebGL ([CVE-2021-30554](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_17.html>))\n * 1 IndexedDB ([CVE-2021-30633](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html>))\n * 1 webaudio ([CVE-2021-21166](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-21166.html>))\n * 1 Portals ([CVE-2021-37973](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html>))\n * 1 Android Intents ([CVE-2021-38000](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-38000.html>))\n * 1 Core ([CVE-2021-37976](<https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_30.html>))\n\nWhen we look at the components targeted by these bugs, they\u2019re all attack surfaces seen before in public security research and previous exploits. If anything, there are a few less DOM bugs and more targeting these other components of browsers like IndexedDB and WebGL than previously. 13 out of the 14 Chromium 0-days were memory corruption bugs. Similar to last year, most of those memory corruption bugs are use-after-free vulnerabilities.\n\nA couple of the Chromium bugs were even similar to previous in-the-wild 0-days. [CVE-2021-21166](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-21166.html>) is an issue in ScriptProcessorNode::Process() in webaudio where there\u2019s insufficient locks such that buffers are accessible in both the main thread and the audio rendering thread at the same time. [CVE-2019-13720](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2019/CVE-2019-13720.html>) is an in-the-wild 0-day from 2019. It was a vulnerability in ConvolverHandler::Process() in webaudio where there were also insufficient locks such that a buffer was accessible in both the main thread and the audio rendering thread at the same time.\n\n[CVE-2021-30632](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-30632.html>) is another Chromium in-the-wild 0-day from 2021. It\u2019s a type confusion in the TurboFan JIT in Chromium\u2019s JavaScript Engine, v8, where Turbofan fails to deoptimize code after a property map is changed. [CVE-2021-30632](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-30632.html>) in particular deals with code that stores global properties. [CVE-2020-16009](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2020/CVE-2020-16009.html>) was also an in-the-wild 0-day that was due to Turbofan failing to deoptimize code after map deprecation.\n\n## WebKit (Safari)\n\nPrior to 2021, Apple had only acknowledged 1 publicly known in-the-wild 0-day targeting WebKit/Safari, and that was due the sharing by an external researcher. In 2021 there were 7. This makes it hard for us to assess trends or changes since we don\u2019t have historical samples to go off of. Instead, we\u2019ll look at 2021\u2019s WebKit bugs in the context of other Safari bugs not known to be in-the-wild and other browser in-the-wild 0-days. \n\nThe 7 in-the-wild 0-days targeted the following components:\n\n * 4 Javascript Engine - JavaScript Core ([CVE-2021-1870](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212146>), [CVE-2021-1871](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212146>), [CVE-2021-30663](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212336>), [CVE-2021-30665](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212336>))\n * 1 IndexedDB ([CVE-2021-30858](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-30858.html>))\n * 1 Storage ([CVE-2021-30661](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212317>))\n * 1 Plugins ([CVE-2021-1879](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1879.html>))\n\nThe one semi-surprise is that no DOM bugs were detected and disclosed. In previous years, vulnerabilities in the DOM engine have generally made up 15-20% of the in-the-wild browser 0-days, but none were detected and disclosed for WebKit in 2021. \n\nIt would not be surprising if attackers are beginning to shift to other modules, like third party libraries or things like IndexedDB. The modules may be more promising to attackers going forward because there\u2019s a better chance that the vulnerability may exist in multiple browsers or platforms. For example, the webaudio bug in Chromium, [CVE-2021-21166](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-21166.html>), also existed in WebKit and was fixed as [CVE-2021-1844](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212223>), though there was no evidence it was exploited in-the-wild in WebKit. The IndexedDB in-the-wild 0-day that was used against Safari in 2021, [CVE-2021-30858](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-30858.html>), was very, very similar to a [bug fixed in Chromium in January 2020](<https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1032890>).\n\n## Internet Explorer\n\nSince we began tracking in-the-wild 0-days, Internet Explorer has had a pretty consistent number of 0-days each year. 2021 actually tied 2016 for the most in-the-wild Internet Explorer 0-days we\u2019ve ever tracked even though Internet Explorer\u2019s market share of web browser users continues to decrease.\n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMTlnGhVLcVL8K20S3s6hSrpyB6kZAA9CWvWNpn1isbEbLFv0c2rs_dPvM0ALT45NtTvyhp8rGehGDRIAEJ6OZYSkk5mezOEoPJOquVXXyHeqrVOvRGEiQHv_J7Je8Itjc5qhwXMCR-E4y79abuxiddCYoeF2VrVakY-L1q82NeMEPjTA0fFC-t8h/s1200/image4%286%29.png>)\n\nSo why are we seeing so little change in the number of in-the-wild 0-days despite the change in market share? Internet Explorer is still a ripe attack surface for initial entry into Windows machines, even if the user doesn\u2019t use Internet Explorer as their Internet browser. While the number of 0-days stayed pretty consistent to what we\u2019ve seen in previous years, the components targeted and the delivery methods of the exploits changed. 3 of the 4 0-days seen in 2021 targeted the MSHTML browser engine and were delivered via methods other than the web. Instead they were delivered to targets via Office documents or other file formats. \n\nThe four 0-days targeted the following components:\n\n * MSHTML browser engine ([CVE-2021-26411](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26411.html>), [CVE-2021-33742](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild/0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-33742.html>), [CVE-2021-40444](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-40444>))\n * Javascript Engine - JScript9 ([CVE-2021-34448](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34448>))\n\nFor [CVE-2021-26411](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26411.html>) targets of the campaign initially received a .mht file, which prompted the user to open in Internet Explorer. Once it was opened in Internet Explorer, the exploit was downloaded and run. [CVE-2021-33742](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-33742.html>) and [CVE-2021-40444](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-40444>) were delivered to targets via malicious Office documents.\n\n[CVE-2021-26411](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26411.html>) and [CVE-2021-33742](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-33742.html>) were two common memory corruption bug patterns: a use-after-free due to a user controlled callback in between two actions using an object and the user frees the object during that callback and a buffer overflow.\n\nThere were a few different vulnerabilities used in the exploit chain that used [CVE-2021-40444](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-40444>), but the one within MSHTML was that as soon as the Office document was opened the payload would run: a CAB file was downloaded, decompressed, and then a function from within a DLL in that CAB was executed. Unlike the previous two MSHTML bugs, this was a logic error in URL parsing rather than a memory corruption bug.\n\n## Windows\n\nWindows is the platform where we\u2019ve seen the most change in components targeted compared with previous years. However, this shift has generally been in progress for a few years and predicted with the end-of-life of Windows 7 in 2020 and thus why it\u2019s still not especially novel.\n\nIn 2021 there were 10 Windows in-the-wild 0-days targeting 7 different components:\n\n * 2 Enhanced crypto provider ([CVE-2021-31199](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31199>), [CVE-2021-31201](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31201>))\n * 2 NTOS kernel ([CVE-2021-33771](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-33771>), [CVE-2021-31979](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31979>))\n * 2 Win32k ([CVE-2021-1732](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1732.html>), [CVE-2021-40449](<https://securelist.com/mysterysnail-attacks-with-windows-zero-day/104509/>))\n * 1 Windows update medic ([CVE-2021-36948](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-36948>)) \n * 1 SuperFetch ([CVE-2021-31955](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31955>))\n * 1 dwmcore.dll ([CVE-2021-28310](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-28310>))\n * 1 ntfs.sys ([CVE-2021-31956](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-31956>))\n\nThe number of different components targeted is the shift from past years. For example, in 2019 75% of Windows 0-days targeted Win32k while in 2021 Win32k only made up 20% of the Windows 0-days. The reason that this was expected and predicted was that 6 out of 8 of those 0-days that targeted Win32k in 2019 did not target the latest release of Windows 10 at that time; they were targeting older versions. With Windows 10 Microsoft began dedicating more and more resources to locking down the attack surface of Win32k so as those older versions have hit end-of-life, Win32k is a less and less attractive attack surface.\n\nSimilar to the many Win32k vulnerabilities seen over the years, the two 2021 Win32k in-the-wild 0-days are due to custom user callbacks. The user calls functions that change the state of an object during the callback and Win32k does not correctly handle those changes. [CVE-2021-1732](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1732.html>) is a type confusion vulnerability due to a user callback in xxxClientAllocWindowClassExtraBytes which leads to out-of-bounds read and write. If NtUserConsoleControl is called during the callback a flag is set in the window structure to signal that a field is an offset into the kernel heap. xxxClientAllocWindowClassExtraBytes doesn\u2019t check this and writes that field as a user-mode pointer without clearing the flag. The first in-the-wild 0-day detected and disclosed in 2022, [CVE-2022-21882](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2022/CVE-2022-21882.html>), is due to [CVE-2021-1732](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1732.html>) actually not being fixed completely. The attackers found a way to bypass the original patch and still trigger the vulnerability. [CVE-2021-40449](<https://securelist.com/mysterysnail-attacks-with-windows-zero-day/104509/>) is a use-after-free in NtGdiResetDC due to the object being freed during the user callback. \n\n## iOS/macOS\n\nAs discussed in the \u201cMore disclosure\u201d section above, 2021 was the first full year that Apple annotated their release notes with in-the-wild status of vulnerabilities. 5 iOS in-the-wild 0-days were detected and disclosed this year. The first publicly known macOS in-the-wild 0-day ([CVE-2021-30869](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/analyzing-watering-hole-campaign-using-macos-exploits/>)) was also found. In this section we\u2019re going to discuss iOS and macOS together because: 1) the two operating systems include similar components and 2) the sample size for macOS is very small (just this one vulnerability).\n\n[](<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGaOlQUGIYyvpDY_M0rGh3JekH4mwXHfN459HYcklg74v4Mfp8j6fgh2SM09mjhA4svdgN_TdSN3R5Bb-DJTHnlo63qnRTsvLs1EZgAE3fBpRtsZhxKhyBNTb_khdS6mNT3EtSHnS_R-TshtHx-gSWnEPpHjmSqO_9Y7JxupGcDKZ0-xwsxgbX6zR/s1200/image6%284%29.png>)\n\nFor the 5 total iOS and macOS in-the-wild 0-days, they targeted 3 different attack surfaces:\n\n * IOMobileFrameBuffer ([CVE-2021-30807](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212623>), [CVE-2021-30883](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212846>))\n * XNU Kernel ([CVE-2021-1782](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212146>) & [CVE-2021-30869](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/analyzing-watering-hole-campaign-using-macos-exploits/>))\n * CoreGraphics ([CVE-2021-30860](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html>))\n * CommCenter ([FORCEDENTRY sandbox escape](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2022/03/forcedentry-sandbox-escape.html>) \\- CVE requested, not yet assigned)\n\nThese 4 attack surfaces are not novel. IOMobileFrameBuffer has been a target of public security research for many years. For example, the Pangu Jailbreak from 2016 used [CVE-2016-4654](<https://www.blackhat.com/docs/us-16/materials/us-16-Wang-Pangu-9-Internals.pdf>), a heap buffer overflow in IOMobileFrameBuffer. IOMobileFrameBuffer manages the screen\u2019s frame buffer. For iPhone 11 (A13) and below, IOMobileFrameBuffer was a kernel driver. Beginning with A14, it runs on a coprocessor, the DCP. It\u2019s a popular attack surface because historically it\u2019s been accessible from sandboxed apps. In 2021 there were two in-the-wild 0-days in IOMobileFrameBuffer. [CVE-2021-30807](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212623>) is an out-of-bounds read and [CVE-2021-30883](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212846>) is an integer overflow, both common memory corruption vulnerabilities. In 2022, we already have another in-the-wild 0-day in IOMobileFrameBuffer, [CVE-2022-22587](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213053>).\n\nOne iOS 0-day and the macOS 0-day both exploited vulnerabilities in the XNU kernel and both vulnerabilities were in code related to XNU\u2019s inter-process communication (IPC) functionality. [CVE-2021-1782](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212146>) exploited a vulnerability in mach vouchers while [CVE-2021-30869](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/analyzing-watering-hole-campaign-using-macos-exploits/>) exploited a vulnerability in mach messages. This is not the first time we\u2019ve seen iOS in-the-wild 0-days, much less public security research, targeting mach vouchers and mach messages. [CVE-2019-6625](<https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209443>) was exploited as a part of [an exploit chain targeting iOS 11.4.1-12.1.2](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-wild-ios-exploit-chain-5.html>) and was also a [vulnerability in mach vouchers](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2019/01/voucherswap-exploiting-mig-reference.html>). \n\nMach messages have also been a popular target for public security research. In 2020 there were two in-the-wild 0-days also in mach messages: [CVE-2020-27932](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2020/CVE-2020-27932.html>) & [CVE-2020-27950](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2020/CVE-2020-27950.html>). This year\u2019s [CVE-2021-30869](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/analyzing-watering-hole-campaign-using-macos-exploits/>) is a pretty close variant to 2020\u2019s [CVE-2020-27932](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2020/CVE-2020-27932.html>). Tielei Wang and Xinru Chi actually [presented on this vulnerability at zer0con 2021](<https://github.com/wangtielei/Slides/blob/main/zer0con21.pdf>) in April 2021. In their presentation, they explained that they found it while doing variant analysis on [CVE-2020-27932](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2020/CVE-2020-27932.html>). [TieLei Wang explained via Twitter](<https://twitter.com/WangTielei/status/1486266258152726530>) that they had found the vulnerability in December 2020 and had noticed it was fixed in beta versions of iOS 14.4 and macOS 11.2 which is why they presented it at Zer0Con. The in-the-wild exploit only targeted macOS 10, but used the same exploitation technique as the one presented.\n\nThe two FORCEDENTRY exploits ([CVE-2021-30860](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html>) and the [sandbox escape](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2022/03/forcedentry-sandbox-escape.html>)) were the only times that made us all go \u201cwow!\u201d this year. For [CVE-2021-30860](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html>), the integer overflow in CoreGraphics, it was because: \n\n 1. For years we\u2019ve all heard about how attackers are using 0-click iMessage bugs and finally we have a public example, and\n 2. The exploit was an impressive work of art. \n\nThe sandbox escape (CVE requested, not yet assigned) was impressive because it\u2019s one of the few times we\u2019ve seen a sandbox escape in-the-wild that uses only logic bugs, rather than the standard memory corruption bugs. \n\nFor [CVE-2021-30860](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html>), the vulnerability itself wasn\u2019t especially notable: a classic integer overflow within the JBIG2 parser of the CoreGraphics PDF decoder. The exploit, though, was described by Samuel Gro\u00df & Ian Beer as \u201cone of the most technically sophisticated exploits [they]\u2019ve ever seen\u201d. [Their blogpost shares all the details](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html>), but the highlight is that the exploit uses the logical operators available in JBIG2 to build NAND gates which are used to build its own computer architecture. The exploit then writes the rest of its exploit using that new custom architecture. From their blogpost:\n\nUsing over 70,000 segment commands defining logical bit operations, they define a small computer architecture with features such as registers and a full 64-bit adder and comparator which they use to search memory and perform arithmetic operations. It's not as fast as Javascript, but it's fundamentally computationally equivalent.\n\nThe bootstrapping operations for the sandbox escape exploit are written to run on this logic circuit and the whole thing runs in this weird, emulated environment created out of a single decompression pass through a JBIG2 stream. It's pretty incredible, and at the same time, pretty terrifying.\n\nThis is an example of what making 0-day exploitation hard could look like: attackers having to develop a new and novel way to exploit a bug and that method requires lots of expertise and/or time to develop. This year, the two FORCEDENTRY exploits were the only 0-days out of the 58 that really impressed us. Hopefully in the future, the bar has been raised such that this will be required for any successful exploitation.\n\n## Android\n\nThere were 7 Android in-the-wild 0-days detected and disclosed this year. Prior to 2021 there had only been 1 and it was in 2019: [CVE-2019-2215](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2019/CVE-2019-2215.html>). Like WebKit, this lack of data makes it hard for us to assess trends and changes. Instead, we\u2019ll compare it to public security research.\n\nFor the 7 Android 0-days they targeted the following components:\n\n * Qualcomm Adreno GPU driver ([CVE-2020-11261](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-01-01>), [CVE-2021-1905](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild/0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1905.html>), [CVE-2021-1906](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-05-01>))\n * ARM Mali GPU driver ([CVE-2021-28663](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-05-01>), [CVE-2021-28664](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-05-01>))\n * Upstream Linux kernel ([CVE-2021-1048](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1048.html>), [CVE-2021-0920](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-11-01#kernel-components>))\n\n5 of the 7 0-days from 2021 targeted GPU drivers. This is actually not that surprising when we consider the evolution of the Android ecosystem as well as recent public security research into Android. The Android ecosystem is quite fragmented: many different kernel versions, different manufacturer customizations, etc. If an attacker wants a capability against \u201cAndroid devices\u201d, they generally need to maintain many different exploits to have a decent percentage of the Android ecosystem covered. However, if the attacker chooses to target the GPU kernel driver instead of another component, they will only need to have two exploits since most Android devices use 1 of 2 GPUs: either the Qualcomm Adreno GPU or the ARM Mali GPU. \n\nPublic security research mirrored this choice in the last couple of years as well. When developing full exploit chains (for defensive purposes) to target Android devices, [Guang Gong](<https://github.com/secmob/TiYunZong-An-Exploit-Chain-to-Remotely-Root-Modern-Android-Devices/blob/master/us-20-Gong-TiYunZong-An-Exploit-Chain-to-Remotely-Root-Modern-Android-Devices-wp.pdf>), [Man Yue Mo](<https://securitylab.github.com/research/one_day_short_of_a_fullchain_android/>), and [Ben Hawkes](<https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2020/09/attacking-qualcomm-adreno-gpu.html>) all chose to attack the GPU kernel driver for local privilege escalation. Seeing the in-the-wild 0-days also target the GPU was more of a confirmation rather than a revelation. Of the 5 0-days targeting GPU drivers, 3 were in the Qualcomm Adreno driver and 2 in the ARM Mali driver. \n\nThe two non-GPU driver 0-days ([CVE-2021-0920](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-11-01#kernel-components>) and [CVE-2021-1048](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1048.html>)) targeted the upstream Linux kernel. Unfortunately, these 2 bugs shared a singular characteristic with the Android in-the-wild 0-day seen in 2019: all 3 were previously known upstream before their exploitation in Android. While the sample size is small, it\u2019s still quite striking to see that 100% of the known in-the-wild Android 0-days that target the kernel are bugs that actually were known about before their exploitation.\n\nThe vulnerability now referred to as [CVE-2021-0920](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-11-01#kernel-components>) was actually found in September 2016 and [discussed on the Linux kernel mailing lists](<https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAOssrKcfncAYsQWkfLGFgoOxAQJVT2hYVWdBA6Cw7hhO8RJ_wQ@mail.gmail.com/>). A [patch was even developed back in 2016](<https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/1475150954-10152-1-git-send-email-mszeredi@redhat.com/>), but it didn\u2019t end up being submitted. The bug was finally [fixed in the Linux kernel in July 2021](<https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=cbcf01128d0a92e131bd09f1688fe032480b65ca>) after the detection of the in-the-wild exploit targeting Android. The patch then made it into the [Android security bulletin in November 2021](<https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2021-11-01#kernel-components>).\n\n[CVE-2021-1048](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-1048.html>) remained unpatched in Android for 14 months after it was patched in the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel was actually only vulnerable to the issue for a few weeks, but due to Android patching practices, that few weeks became almost a year for some Android devices. If an Android OEM synced to the upstream kernel, then they likely were patched against the vulnerability at some point. But many devices, such as recent Samsung devices, had not and thus were left vulnerable.\n\n## Microsoft Exchange Server\n\nIn 2021, there were 5 in-the-wild 0-days targeting Microsoft Exchange Server. This is the first time any Exchange Server in-the-wild 0-days have been detected and disclosed since we began tracking in-the-wild 0-days. The first four ([CVE-2021-26855](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26855.html>), [CVE-2021-26857](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26857>), [CVE-2021-26858](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26858>), and [CVE-2021-27065](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-27065>)) were all disclosed and patched at the same time and used together in a [single operation](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/02/hafnium-targeting-exchange-servers/>). The fifth ([CVE-2021-42321](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42321>)) was patched on its own in November 2021. [CVE-2021-42321](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42321>) was demonstrated at Tianfu Cup and then discovered in-the-wild by Microsoft. While no other in-the-wild 0-days were disclosed as part of the chain with [CVE-2021-42321](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42321>), the attackers would have required at least another 0-day for successful exploitation since [CVE-2021-42321](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42321>) is a post-authentication bug.\n\nOf the four Exchange in-the-wild 0-days used in the first campaign, [CVE-2021-26855](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26855.html>), which is also known as \u201cProxyLogon\u201d, is the only one that\u2019s pre-auth. [CVE-2021-26855](<https://googleprojectzero.github.io/0days-in-the-wild//0day-RCAs/2021/CVE-2021-26855.html>) is a server side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to send arbitrary HTTP requests as the Exchange server. The other three vulnerabilities were post-authentication. For example, [CVE-2021-26858](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26858>) and [CVE-2021-27065](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-27065>) allowed attackers to write arbitrary files to the system. [CVE-2021-26857](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26857>) is a remote code execution vulnerability due to a deserialization bug in the Unified Messaging service. This allowed attackers to run code as the privileged SYSTEM user.\n\nFor the second campaign, [CVE-2021-42321](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42321>), like [CVE-2021-26858](<https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2021-26858>), is a post-authentication RCE vulnerability due to insecure deserialization. It seems that while attempting to harden Exchange, Microsoft inadvertently introduced another deserialization vulnerability.\n\nWhile there were a significant amount of 0-days in Exchange detected and disclosed in 2021, it\u2019s important to remember that they were all used as 0-day in only two different campaigns. This is an example of why we don\u2019t suggest using the number of 0-days in a product as a metric to assess the security of a product. Requiring the use of four 0-days for attackers to have success is preferable to an attacker only needing one 0-day to successfully gain access.\n\nWhile this is the first time Exchange in-the-wild 0-days have been detected and disclosed since Project Zero began our tracking, this is not unexpected. In 2020 there was [n-day exploitation of Exchange Servers](<https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/current-activity/2020/03/10/unpatched-microsoft-exchange-servers-vulnerable-cve-2020-0688>). Whether this was the first year that attackers began the 0-day exploitation or if this was the first year that defenders began detecting the 0-day exploitation, this is not an unexpected evolution and we\u2019ll likely see it continue into 2022.\n\n# Outstanding Questions\n\nWhile there has been progress on detection and disclosure, that progress has shown just how much work there still is to do. The more data we gained, the more questions that arose about biases in detection, what we\u2019re missing and why, and the need for more transparency from both vendors and researchers.\n\nUntil the day that attackers decide to happily share all their exploits with us, we can\u2019t fully know what percentage of 0-days are publicly known about. However when we pull together our expertise as security researchers and anecdotes from others in the industry, it paints a picture of some of the data we\u2019re very likely missing. From that, these are some of the key questions we\u2019re asking ourselves as we move into 2022:\n\n## Where are the [x] 0-days?\n\nDespite the number of 0-days found in 2021, there are key targets missing from the 0-days discovered. For example, we know that messaging applications like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, etc. are targets of interest to attackers and yet there\u2019s only 1 messaging app, in this case iMessage, 0-day found this past year. Since we began tracking in mid-2014 the total is two: a WhatsApp 0-day in 2019 and this iMessage 0-day found in 2021.\n\nAlong with messaging apps, there are other platforms/targets we\u2019d expect to see 0-days targeting, yet there are no or very few public examples. For example, since mid-2014 there\u2019s only one in-the-wild 0-day each for macOS and Linux. There are no known in-the-wild 0-days targeting cloud, CPU vulnerabilities, or other phone components such as the WiFi chip or the baseband.\n\nThis leads to the question of whether these 0-days are absent due to lack of detection, lack of disclosure, or both?\n\n## Do some vendors have no known in-the-wild 0-days because they\u2019ve never been found or because they don\u2019t publicly disclose?\n\nUnless a vendor has told us that they will publicly disclose exploitation status for all vulnerabilities in their platforms, we, the public, don\u2019t know if the absence of an annotation means that there is no known exploitation of a vulnerability or if there is, but the vendor is just not sharing that information publicly. Thankfully this question is something that has a pretty clear solution: all device and software vendors agreeing to publicly disclose when there is evidence to suggest that a vulnerability in their product is being exploited in-the-wild.\n\n## Are we seeing the same bug patterns because that\u2019s what we know how to detect?\n\nAs we described earlier in this report, all the 0-days we saw in 2021 had similarities to previously seen vulnerabilities. This leads us to wonder whether or not that\u2019s actually representative of what attackers are using. Are attackers actually having success exclusively using vulnerabilities in bug classes and components that are previously public? Or are we detecting all these 0-days with known bug patterns because that\u2019s what we know how to detect? Public security research would suggest that yes, attackers are still able to have success with using vulnerabilities in known components and bug classes the majority of the time. But we\u2019d still expect to see a few novel and unexpected vulnerabilities in the grouping. We posed this question back in the 2019 year-in-review and it still lingers. \n\n## Where are the spl0itz?\n\nTo successfully exploit a vulnerability there are two key pieces that make up that exploit: the vulnerability being exploited, and the exploitation method (how that vulnerability is turned into something useful). \n\nUnfortunately, this report could only really analyze one of these components: the vulnerability. Out of the 58 0-days, only 5 have an exploit sample publicly available. Discovered in-the-wild 0-days are the failure case for attackers and a key opportunity for defenders to learn what attackers are doing and make it harder, more time-intensive, more costly, to do it again. Yet without the exploit sample or a detailed technical write-up based upon the sample, we can only focus on fixing the vulnerability rather than also mitigating the exploitation method. This means that attackers are able to continue to use their existing exploit methods rather than having to go back to the design and development phase to build a new exploitation method. While acknowledging that sharing exploit samples can be challenging (we have that challenge too!), we hope in 2022 there will be more sharing of exploit samples or detailed technical write-ups so that we can come together to use every possible piece of information to make it harder for the attackers to exploit more users.\n\nAs an aside, if you have an exploit sample that you\u2019re willing to share with us, please reach out. Whether it\u2019s sharing with us and having us write a detailed technical description and analysis or having us share it publicly, we\u2019d be happy to work with you.\n\n# Conclusion\n\nLooking back on 2021, what comes to mind is \u201cbaby steps\u201d. We can see clear industry improvement in the detection and disclosure of 0-day exploits. But the better detection and disclosure has highlighted other opportunities for progress. As an industry we\u2019re not making 0-day hard. Attackers are having success using vulnerabilities similar to what we\u2019ve seen previously and in components that have previously been discussed as attack surfaces.The goal is to force attackers to start from scratch each time we detect one of their exploits: they\u2019re forced to discover a whole new vulnerability, they have to invest the time in learning and analyzing a new attack surface, they must develop a brand new exploitation method. And while we made distinct progress in detection and disclosure it has shown us areas where that can continue to improve.\n\nWhile this all may seem daunting, the promising part is that we\u2019ve done it before: we have made clear progress on previously daunting goals. In 2019, we discussed the large detection deficit for 0-day exploits and 2 years later more than double were detected and disclosed. So while there is still plenty more work to do, it\u2019s a tractable problem. There are concrete steps that the tech and security industries can take to make it even more progress: \n\n\n 1. Make it an industry standard behavior for all vendors to publicly disclose when there is evidence to suggest that a vulnerability in their product is being exploited,\n 2. Vendors and security researchers sharing exploit samples or detailed descriptions of the exploit techniques.\n 3. Continued concerted efforts on reducing memory corruption vulnerabilities or rendering them unexploitable.\n\nThrough 2021 we continually saw the real world impacts of the use of 0-day exploits against users and entities. Amnesty International, the Citizen Lab, and others highlighted [over](<https://citizenlab.ca/2021/10/breaking-news-new-york-times-journalist-ben-hubbard-pegasus/>) and [over](<https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/doc10/4491/2021/en/>) how governments were using commercial surveillance products against [journalists](<https://forbiddenstories.org/pegasus-the-new-global-weapon-for-silencing-journalists/>), [human rights defenders](<https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2021/11/devices-of-palestinian-human-rights-defenders-hacked-with-nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-2/>), and [government officials](<https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-us-state-department-phones-hacked-with-israeli-company-spyware-sources-2021-12-03/>). We saw many enterprises scrambling to remediate and protect themselves from the [Exchange Server 0-days](<https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/02/hafnium-targeting-exchange-servers/>). And we even learned of peer [security researchers being targeted by ](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/update-campaign-targeting-security-researchers/>)[North Korean government hackers](<https://blog.google/threat-analysis-group/update-campaign-targeting-security-researchers/>). While the majority of people on the planet do not need to worry about their own personal risk of being targeted with 0-days, 0-day exploitation still affects us all. These 0-days tend to have an outsized impact on society so we need to continue doing whatever we can to make it harder for attackers to be successful in these attacks.\n\n2021 showed us we\u2019re on the right track and making progress, but there\u2019s plenty more to be done to make 0-day hard.\n", "cvss3": {"exploitabilityScore": 3.9, "cvssV3": {"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "baseScore": 9.8, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "version": "3.1", "userInteraction": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 5.9}, "published": "2022-04-19T00:00:00", "type": "googleprojectzero", "title": "\nThe More You Know, The More You Know You Don\u2019t Know\n", "bulletinFamily": "info", "cvss2": {"severity": "HIGH", "exploitabilityScore": 10.0, "obtainAllPrivilege": false, "userInteractionRequired": false, "obtainOtherPrivilege": false, "cvssV2": {"accessComplexity": "LOW", "confidentialityImpact": "COMPLETE", "availabilityImpact": "COMPLETE", "integrityImpact": "COMPLETE", "baseScore": 10.0, "vectorString": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C", "version": "2.0", "accessVector": "NETWORK", "authentication": "NONE"}, "impactScore": 10.0, "acInsufInfo": false, "obtainUserPrivilege": false}, "cvelist": ["CVE-2016-4654", "CVE-2019-13720", "CVE-2019-2215", "CVE-2019-6625", "CVE-2020-0688", "CVE-2020-11261", "CVE-2020-16009", "CVE-2020-27932", "CVE-2020-27950", "CVE-2021-0920", "CVE-2021-1048", "CVE-2021-1732", "CVE-2021-1782", "CVE-2021-1844", "CVE-2021-1870", "CVE-2021-1871", "CVE-2021-1879", "CVE-2021-1905", "CVE-2021-1906", "CVE-2021-21148", "CVE-2021-21166", "CVE-2021-21193", "CVE-2021-21206", "CVE-2021-26411", "CVE-2021-26855", "CVE-2021-26857", "CVE-2021-26858", "CVE-2021-27065", "CVE-2021-28310", "CVE-2021-28663", "CVE-2021-28664", "CVE-2021-30551", "CVE-2021-30554", "CVE-2021-30563", "CVE-2021-30632", "CVE-2021-30633", "CVE-2021-30661", "CVE-2021-30663", "CVE-2021-30665", "CVE-2021-30737", "CVE-2021-30807", "CVE-2021-30858", "CVE-2021-30860", "CVE-2021-30869", "CVE-2021-30883", "CVE-2021-31199", "CVE-2021-31201", "CVE-2021-31955", "CVE-2021-31956", "CVE-2021-31979", "CVE-2021-33742", "CVE-2021-33771", "CVE-2021-34448", "CVE-2021-36948", "CVE-2021-37973", "CVE-2021-37975", "CVE-2021-37976", "CVE-2021-38000", "CVE-2021-38003", "CVE-2021-40444", "CVE-2021-40449", "CVE-2021-41773", "CVE-2021-42321", "CVE-2022-21882", "CVE-2022-22587"], "modified": "2022-04-19T00:00:00", "id": "GOOGLEPROJECTZERO:CA925EE6A931620550EF819815B14156", "href": "https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-more-you-know-more-you-know-you.html", "cvss": {"score": 10.0, "vector": "AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C"}}]}
Windows Update Medic Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
