The Microsoft vulnerability could become the next runaway cyberthreat, like 2017’s WannaCry
BlueKeep, a Microsoft Windows vulnerability that captured headlines in June, has surfaced in the wild of the internet. The threat was previously only modeled by researchers, who said it could potentially devastate networks as a worm spreading unassisted from computer to computer. The current BlueKeep outbreak is limited to a targeted cryptocurrency mining threat, Forbes and other news outlets report.
Security researchers Marcus Hutchins and Kevin Beaumont brought the new outbreak to light, and noted its current, limited activity. While BlueKeep is only targeting certain systems to run cryptomining scripts at this time, this development is “all the more reason to ensure you're patched,” The Register reported.
So what exactly is BlueKeep, why should you care, and what can you do about it?
What is BlueKeep?
BlueKeep is a software vulnerability affecting older versions of Microsoft Windows. Its risk is significant because it attacks an operating system’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which connects to another computer over a network connection. This would allow a cyberthreat to spread very quickly. It was first discovered by the UK National Cyber Security Centre in May. Microsoft has been imploring around a million users to apply a patch in blunt warnings since mid-May.
Why is it a big deal?
Microsoft has warned that the BlueKeep vulnerability could cause a “wormable” cybersecurity outbreak that could “propa ..
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