{"id":1397,"date":"2013-03-14T13:25:32","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T17:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=1397"},"modified":"2013-03-14T13:25:32","modified_gmt":"2013-03-14T17:25:32","slug":"critical-windows-usb-exploit-allows-flash-drives-to-grant-root-access-patch-issued","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/03\/14\/critical-windows-usb-exploit-allows-flash-drives-to-grant-root-access-patch-issued\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical Windows USB exploit allows flash drives to grant root access, patch issued"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.techspot.com\/news\/51929-critical-windows-usb-exploit-allows-flash-drives-to-grant-root-access-patch-issued.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/nccomputertech.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/03\/microsoft_patch_tuesday1.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Microsoft&#8217;s Patch Tuesday yielded an interesting security fix for a glaring vulnerability in how the Windows kernel handles USB device enumeration. The critical vulnerability allowed potential hackers with physical access to a Windows PC to run arbitrary code with system user privileges &#8212; even while Windows was locked and users logged off.<br \/>\nWould-be hackers could exploit the security hole by merely inserting a specially-formatted USB flash drive with a custom device descriptor. During device detection, the Windows kernel would parse this information and execute malicious code found on such a USB drive, irrespective of autorun or AutoPlay settings. The code would run with elevated system privileges.<br \/>\nMicrosoft&#8217;s researchers admit this attack may indicate other, similar &#8220;avenues of exploitation&#8221; &#8212; but perhaps where physical access to the host system is not required.<br \/>\nThe vulnerability (MS13-027) is found across all versions of Windows ranging from Windows 8 to as far back as Windows XP SP2, including Windows Server variants.<br \/>\nBecause the hack requires no user interaction and exploits how Windows kernel-mode drivers handles memory-resident objects, the security snafu could be exploited even without a logged on user or while a Windows system is locked.<br \/>\nHaving physical access to a computer can make rooting a standard Windows box relatively straightforward; however, exploits which require only brief casual access can be dangerous, particularly in office and educational settings &#8212; a user&#8217;s privacy and security can be compromised in a matter of seconds.<br \/>\nMicrosoft addressed this security issue in yesterday&#8217;s round of updates. Windows Update is the simplest way to install the patch, but it can also be downloaded and install manually.<br \/>\nvia <a href=\"http:\/\/www.techspot.com\/news\/51929-critical-windows-usb-exploit-allows-flash-drives-to-grant-root-access-patch-issued.html\" target=\"_blank\">Critical Windows USB exploit allows flash drives to grant root access, patch issued &#8211; TechSpot<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft&#8217;s Patch Tuesday yielded an interesting security fix for a glaring vulnerability in how the Windows kernel handles USB device [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,5,7,9,11],"tags":[341,450,1138],"class_list":["post-1397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hardware","category-microsoft","category-security","category-software","category-windows","tag-exploit","tag-hack","tag-usb"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-mx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5579,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/05\/13\/linux-gets-fix-for-code-execution-flaw-that-was-undetected-since-2009-ars-technica\/","url_meta":{"origin":1397,"position":0},"title":"Linux gets fix for code-execution flaw that was undetected since 2009","author":"NCCT","date":"May 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Maintainers of the Linux kernel have patched one of the more serious security bugs to be disclosed in the open source operating system in recent months. The five-year-old code-execution hole leaves computers used in shared Web hosting services particularly vulnerable, so users and administrators should make sure systems are running\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Linux&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Linux","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/linux\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rockhopper_penguin_sick-640x807.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rockhopper_penguin_sick-640x807.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/rockhopper_penguin_sick-640x807.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5710,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/06\/10\/microsoft-pushes-out-massive-security-update-for-internet-explorer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1397,"position":1},"title":"Microsoft pushes out massive security update for Internet Explorer","author":"NCCT","date":"June 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Microsoft pushes out massive security update for Internet Explorer Six down, six to go. Today is the Microsoft Patch Tuesday for June, and it comes with seven new security bulletins. The good news is that five of the seven are only rated as Important, but one of the two Critical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Microsoft&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3141,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2013\/08\/08\/microsoft-to-release-three-critical-security-bulletins-tuesday-neowin\/","url_meta":{"origin":1397,"position":2},"title":"Microsoft to release three critical security bulletins Tuesday","author":"NCCT","date":"August 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In July, Microsoft released six critical security bulletins, out of a total of seven, for its software as part of its regular monthly Patch Tuesday event. For August, Microsoft will release a total of eight security bulletins but just three of them are considered critical. Microsoft's summary of this month's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Microsoft&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Microsoft","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/microsoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7751,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/03\/06\/more-iot-insecurity-this-blu-ray-disc-pwns-pcs-and-dvd-players\/","url_meta":{"origin":1397,"position":3},"title":"More IoT insecurity: This Blu-ray disc pwns PCs and DVD players","author":"NCCT","date":"March 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For more than a decade, malicious hackers have used booby-trapped USB sticks to infect would-be victims, in rare cases to spread virulent, self-replicating malware on air-gapped computers inside a uranium enrichment plant. Now, a security researcher says he has found a way to build malicious Blu-ray discs that could do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8767,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/12\/07\/security-vulnerabilities-found-in-support-software-from-lenovo-toshiba-and-dell\/","url_meta":{"origin":1397,"position":4},"title":"Security vulnerabilities found in support software from Lenovo, Toshiba, and Dell","author":"NCCT","date":"December 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Lucian Constantin | PCWorld The number of vulnerabilities discovered in technical support applications installed on PCs by manufacturers keeps piling up. 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The group, which has been active since at least\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Security&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}