The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the cybersecurity watchdog operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has issued an urgent warning to users of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
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The alert, initially released on August 12 and revised on August 14, highlights critical vulnerabilities in these operating systems that could potentially grant attackers “elevated privileges” on affected systems.
According to the advisory, the vulnerabilities impact systems that use Virtualisation Based Security (VBS) and Windows Backup. Exploiting these weaknesses could allow cybercriminals to bypass existing VBS protections or reintroduce previously mitigated issues. This could lead to unauthorised access and control over the target system.
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The affected systems include various versions of Windows, both for personal and server use.
The list of impacted versions is extensive and includes:
- Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
- Windows 10 (Various versions including 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2, and 23H2)
- Windows 11 (Versions 21H2, 22H2, and 24H2 for x64 and ARM64-based systems)
- Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
- Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation and regular installation)
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Recommended action:
CERT-In advises all affected users to immediately update their systems to the latest security patches released by Microsoft. The company has provided updates to address these vulnerabilities and protect users from potential exploitation.
Windows users are urged to check for and install these updates to ensure their systems remain secure and safeguarded against these high-risk vulnerabilities.
