Call us today on: +44 (0)203 88 020 88
SecureTeamSecureTeamSecureTeamSecureTeam
  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Infrastructure Testing
      • Internal Network Penetration Test
      • External Network Penetration Test
      • Wireless Network Penetration Test
      • Vulnerability Assessment
      • Network Segregation Test
      • Voice over IP (VoIP) Penetration Test
    • Application Testing
      • Web Application Penetration Test
      • Mobile Application Penetration Test
      • Desktop Application Security Assessment
      • Citrix Breakout Test
    • Configuration Review
      • Windows Server Build Review
      • Linux Server Build Review
      • Citrix Configuration Review
    • Information Assurance
      • ISO 27001 Gap Analysis
    • Cyber Essentials
  • News
  • Articles
  • About
    • About SecureTeam
    • STORM Appliances
      • Installing a STORM Device
      • Returning a STORM Device
    • White-Label Consultancy
    • Jobs
    • Cookie Policy
    • Quality Policy
    • Security Policy
    • Privacy Notice
    • Website Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us

News

Home  >  News  >  Vulnerabilities  >  The PrintNightmare continues
NextPrevious

The PrintNightmare continues

News, Vulnerabilities | 21 July, 2021 | 0

Since the start of June there has been a confusing number of security vulnerabilities reported in the Windows Print Spooler.  Let me explain what is going on.

CVE-2021-1675

This is the vulnerability that caused some initial confusion – a Remote Code Execution vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler.  This is not the vulnerability known as PrintNightmare – but a security researcher thought it was and when they saw a patch to resolve it included in the June Patch Tuesday bundle, they published their research and exploit code for PrintNightmare.  As a result, criminals grabbed a copy of the sample code and started to attack a second vulnerability which became known as PrintNightmare

CVE-2021-34527 – PrintNightmare

This Remote Code Execution vulnerability allows attackers to run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.  The RCE was patched in the emergency update: KB5004945 but the elevation of privilege vulnerability remained and is not yet patched.

The emergency patch tightened the security of the print spooler subsystem, allowing only administrators to install new printer drivers.  According to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article:

Before installing the July 2021 Out-of-band and later Windows updates containing protections for CVE-2021-34527, the printer operators’ security group could install both signed and unsigned printer drivers on a printer server. Starting with the July 2021 Out-of-band update, administrator credentials will be required to install signed and unsigned printer drivers on a printer server. Optionally, to override all Point and Print Restrictions Group policy settings and ensure that only administrators can install printer drivers on a print server, configure the RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators registry value to 1.
KB5005010

CVE-2021-34481

Whenever a vulnerability makes news headlines, it draws the attention of researchers and criminals to that software and often additional vulnerabilities are discovered as a result of the scrutiny.  Which is exactly what happened here with another Escalation of Privilege vulnerability found in the Windows Print Spooler. No fix is available yet.  Microsoft’s best advice:  disable the Print Spooler to mitigate the risk.

 

 

Subscribe to our monthly cybersecurity newsletter
Stay up-to-date with the very latest cybersecurity news & technical articles delivered straight to your inbox
We hate spam as much as you do. We will never give your email address out to any third-party.
cyber security news, microsoft, patching

Related Post

  • Amex and Snapchat used in Open Redirect Attacks

    By Mark Faithfull

    Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 users have been targeted in phishing attacks that have resulted in the attackers stealing credentials. The attackers exploited known flaws in Snapchat and American Express websites to trigger open redirectsRead more

  • VMware Patch Critical Authentication Bypass Flaw

    By Mark Faithfull

    VMware released a critical security advisory this week to warn users of security vulnerabilities that have been found in a variety of their systems. VMware Workspace ONE Access, Access Connector, Identity Manager, Identity Manager Connector,Read more

  • Critical Confluence Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild

    By Mark Faithfull

    A vulnerability in Atlassian’s Questions for Confluence app has been found that includes hardcoded credentials that remote attackers can exploit to access the Confluence Server or Confluence Data Center it is hosted on. The versionsRead more

  • Microsoft Exchange Servers Open to Backdoor Hack

    By Mark Faithfull

    Microsoft have warned customers of a form of attack capable of targeting unpatched Microsoft Exchange servers. The attacks taking place in the first 5 months of this year saw threat actors using Internet Information ServicesRead more

  • Source Code for Stealer Malware Released Online

    By Mark Faithfull

    An information stealing malware has had its source code released by the developer on a popular hacking forum. Cyber criminals have had free access to this malware since the start of this month, and itRead more

NextPrevious

Recent Posts

  • Amex and Snapchat used in Open Redirect Attacks
  • VMware Patch Critical Authentication Bypass Flaw
  • Critical Confluence Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild
  • LinkedIn the Top Phishing Brand in Q2 2022
  • Microsoft Exchange Servers Open to Backdoor Hack

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • January 2018
    • October 2017
    BCS Cyber Essentials Cyber Essentials Cyber Essentials PLUS ISO 9001 ISO 27001
    information. secured.
    • Home
    • Our Services
      • Infrastructure Testing
        • Internal Network Penetration Test
        • External Network Penetration Test
        • Wireless Network Penetration Test
        • Vulnerability Assessment
        • Network Segregation Test
        • Voice over IP (VoIP) Penetration Test
      • Application Testing
        • Web Application Penetration Test
        • Mobile Application Penetration Test
        • Desktop Application Security Assessment
        • Citrix Breakout Test
      • Configuration Review
        • Windows Server Build Review
        • Linux Server Build Review
        • Citrix Configuration Review
      • Information Assurance
        • ISO 27001 Gap Analysis
      • Cyber Essentials
    • News
    • Articles
    • About
      • About SecureTeam
      • STORM Appliances
        • Installing a STORM Device
        • Returning a STORM Device
      • White-Label Consultancy
      • Jobs
      • Cookie Policy
      • Quality Policy
      • Security Policy
      • Privacy Notice
      • Website Terms & Conditions
    • Contact Us
    SecureTeam