Mohamed Sharaf
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BlueKeep: patch Remote Desktop, even on Windows XP

Microsoft says this Remote Desktop bug is wormable, and patched even Windows XP. Close RDP to the internet now.

· 1 min read

Last week Microsoft fixed CVE-2019-0708, BlueKeep: a bug in Remote Desktop Services that lets an attacker run code on a machine without logging in. Microsoft warned it’s wormable, like WannaCry, and took the rare step of releasing patches for Windows XP and Server 2003.

Affected: Windows 7, Server 2008 and 2008 R2, and the older systems. Windows 8 and 10 are not.

  1. Install the patch on every affected machine, including the unsupported ones that got a special update.
  2. Close RDP (port 3389) to the internet. Use a VPN or a remote desktop gateway instead.
  3. Turn on Network Level Authentication, which requires login before the vulnerable code is reached.
  4. Plan to retire Windows 7 before its support ends next January.

Hundreds of thousands of exposed machines are vulnerable. Don’t be one of them when the first worm appears.

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