Attack code exploits a critical unpatched bug in Server Message Block 2.
Attack code that exploits a critical unpatched bug in Windows is likely to go public soon. Until Microsoft can create a fix, the company wants users to run an automated tool that disables the vulnerable component. The bug is in SMB (Server Message Block) 2, a Microsoft-made network file- and print-sharing protocol that ships with Windows, affects Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and preview releases of Windows 7.
The automated “Fix it” tool posted Friday automatically disables the SMB 2 service, rendering any attack moot. That, however, also makes it impossible for PCs to communicate to file servers and network printers using the protocol, reports Computerworld.
The flaw was first disclosed Sept. 7 and since then, researchers have become increasingly alarmed by it. It may be used to create a worm, some say. The open-source Metasploit pen-testing software plans to add the attack code this week, according to HD Moore , a noted security researcher and one of Metasploit’s makers. Metasploit’s exploit code is often used by hackers to build malicious attacks.
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