Government of India is issuing a very high severity warning to Windows PC users and here is the reason why it’s crucial to adhere to.
Do you have a computer that is powered by Windows? Do you know that the Indian government India has issued a severe security alert for those who use Windows. It is the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is a part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) is issued an advisory to all Windows users, stating that Windows could be at risk of a major vulnerability. Users are advised to upgrade their devices as soon as possible.
The organization was notified of a security vulnerability that could cause harm to Windows Defender, the programme that safeguards Windows from malware, viruses and other threats in certain version that run Microsoft Windows.
What is the message that was issued to Windows users?
Security experts at CERT-In and Microsoft declare that the current crisis is among the highest-level security emergencies that have been announced in an extended period of time. The issue is that due to the extreme level security vulnerabilities, cybercriminals might gain access to computers without being caught through security precautions. It has been discovered that Microsoft Windows Defender’s Credential Guard component is vulnerable to an issue, which allows an attacker who is locally authenticated to circumvent security measures and gain elevated access to the system targeted.
The issue that triggers the default is in the category of zero-day vulnerabilities. This implies that it’s only discovered during the course of use. It could disguise itself as an official user granting an access right to all domains. This could result in serious consequences for organizations and companies which use domains to monitor every account or machine that is connected to the system in general.
Based on an analysis done by security experts across the globe, this security flaw was discovered in 2021. There are currently around 1.5 billion registered Windows users. Experts believe that the vulnerability recently discovered is affecting around 43 different Microsoft versions.
The CERT-warning warns there are security vulnerabilities and privilege escalaters discovered within Windows Defender Credential Guard which could permit an attacker who is authenticated locally to bypass security limitations and gain access to elevated privileges on the system targeted.
