Microsoft Urges Everybody To Update Their PC Immediately Over Security Flaw

Microsoft released an emergency security update and advised all PC users to update their computers immediately. The security flaw, known as PrintNightmare, was discovered by security researchers and allows a hacker to exploit vulnerabilities in the Print Spooler to install programs, access data, and create new user accounts.

"This is a cumulative update release, so it contains all previous security fixes and should be applied immediately to fully protect your systems. The fix that we released today fully addresses the public vulnerability, and it also includes a new feature that allows customers to implement stronger protections," Microsoft said.

The urgency surrounding the update comes after the researchers, who work for cybersecurity company Sangfor, accidentally posted a guide on how to exploit the vulnerability online. The guide has since been deleted.

"We deleted the POC of PrintNightmare. To mitigate this vulnerability, please update Windows to the latest version, or disable the Spooler service. For more RCE and LPE in Spooler, stay tuned and wait our Blackhat talk," Zhiniang Peng wrote on Twitter.

The vulnerability is so concerning that Microsoft released a patch for Windows 7, which it stopped supporting last year. Microsoft said that it has not released a fix for all of its operating systems but is working on getting them patched as soon as possible.

"Unfortunately, security updates for Windows Server 2016, Windows 10, version 1607, and Windows Server 2012 will be delayed for a short period, but they are expected soon," the company said.