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This month, Microsoft has launched 103 updates to Home windows, Edge, Microsoft Workplace, and Alternate Server. This replace additionally consists of minor updates to Visible Studio. Three zero-days (CVE-2023-44487, CVE-2023-36563 and CVE-2023-41763) require “Patch Now” updates for each Home windows and the Edge browser for this October replace cycle.
Microsoft has additionally up to date its patch launch and notification system with assist for RSS feeds and has printed its newest Digital Protection Report for this yr. The crew at Software Readiness has offered a useful infographic that outlines the dangers related to every of the updates for this October replace cycle.
Identified points
Every month, Microsoft features a record of identified points that relate to the working system and platforms which are included on this replace cycle.
- Microsoft Server 2022: After putting in this month’s replace on visitor digital machines (VMs) working Home windows Server 2022 on some variations of VMware ESXi, Home windows Server 2022 may not begin up. Microsoft and VMware are each investigating this situation, however there is no such thing as a printed decision on the time of writing.
Main revisions
Microsoft has printed one main revision this month:
- CVE-2023-36794: Within the Safety Updates desk, added Microsoft Visible Studio 2013 Replace 5 and Visible Studio 2015 Replace 3, as these variations of Visible Studio are additionally affected by the vulnerability. No additional motion is required.
Mitigations and workarounds
Microsoft has printed the next vulnerability associated mitigations for this month’s Patch Tuesday launch cycle:
- There are 15 Microsoft Message Queue updates this month, every with a broadcast mitigation from Microsoft that notes, “if the Message Queuing service is enabled and listening on port 1801, then your system is weak.”
- Microsoft gives some restricted recommendation on OLE associated vulnerabilities (e.g., CVE-2023-36730) this month with recommendation to solely connect with trusted servers.
Some could query the efficacy of those proffered mitigations.
Testing steering
Every month, the crew at Readiness analyses the newest Patch Tuesday updates from Microsoft and supplies detailed, actionable testing steering. This steering is predicated on assessing a big software portfolio and an in depth evaluation of the Microsoft patches and their potential impression on the Home windows platforms and software installations.
One of many hardest areas on the Home windows platform (each desktop and server) to replace is the Home windows Kernel subsystem. This core subsystem manages safety, entry to low-level providers, drivers, and the {Hardware} Abstraction Layer (HAL). Given its significance, the Kernel layer is essential to delivering most providers and functions on Home windows. Altering this core system usually interprets to a high-risk of a element, service, or software not behaving as anticipated. Thus, testing is essential and in addition very troublesome to do proper.
This month Microsoft has up to date each the Kernel and GDI subsystems at a core stage. At Readiness, we’ve got checked out these (GDI and Kernel stage) modifications, and they’re each minor and far-reaching. (This isn’t a tautology.) Somewhat than a particular check steering plan, we suggest a “smoke check” to your generally used functions and a enterprise logic centered check effort to your vital or line-of-business functions. (Maybe your prime 20 apps?)
All these situations would require vital application-level testing earlier than a basic deployment of this month’s replace. Along with these listed particular testing necessities, we advise a basic check of the next Home windows options:
- Take a look at your Home windows Error Reporting programs (logs and error studies with a Create/Learn/Replace/Delete/Prolong (CRUDE) check cycle.
- Be careful for heavy GPU utilization (we advise making an attempt out AutoCAD or Bloomberg).
- Take a look at your VPN connections — a easy join/disconnect check will suffice this month.
- On account of an replace to the Home windows WAV file codecs, a small check cycle of audio recordsdata needs to be included for this October replace.
Stressing in regards to the newest WordPad safety vulnerability? Sadly, we nonetheless have to check our rich-text-formatted (RTF) recordsdata this month as properly. This follows on from final month’s Notepad++ vulnerabilities, which included CVE-2023-40031, CVE-2023-40036, CVE-2023-40164 and CVE-2023-40166. At this charge, Microsoft may determine to take away all (free) textual content editors from Home windows. Workplace, anybody?
Home windows lifecycle replace
Over the previous few months, we’ve got used this part to element the forthcoming modifications to the Home windows ecosystem, comparable to finish of platform assist or modifications to safety updates. This month, we’ve got two main Home windows deprecations which were introduced by Microsoft:
- VBScript — this can be a massive deal. Sure, the venerable scripting language is each a lot maligned and far beloved by desktop engineers. Its deprecation is a significant situation and can have an effect on many (greater than you assume) software installations and would require some consideration.
- WordPad (what, actually?). In line with Microsoft, WordPad will now not be up to date and will probably be eliminated in a future model of Home windows. You possibly can nonetheless generate RTF recordsdata utilizing the Echo command in a DOS immediate, after setting the generator sort, ANSI web page, default language, character code, charset, and font. Or you might use Workplace.
And talking of life cycles, Completely happy Birthday to Patch Tuesday — it has been 20 years because the first correctly scheduled replace to the Home windows ecosystem. Issues have been fairly chaotic again then, with unscheduled updates distributed via the month. I doubt anybody would have thought-about simply how essential safety patches/updates would grow to be to the IT neighborhood. Greater than a convention, Patch Tuesday is now an important a part of IT finest practices.
Every month, we break down the replace cycle into product households (as outlined by Microsoft) with the next primary groupings:
- Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge)
- Microsoft Home windows (each desktop and server)
- Microsoft Workplace
- Microsoft Alternate Server
- Microsoft Improvement platforms (NET Core, .NET Core and Chakra Core)
- Adobe (retired???, perhaps subsequent yr)
Browsers
Microsoft has tailored to the Chromium launch schedule and now not particularly publishes updates on the second Tuesday of each month. That stated, Microsoft has used the discharge of the patch of CVE-2023-5346 and CVE-2023-5217 this week as a kind of “stub” or proxy for Patch Tuesday Chromium (Edge) updates.
For extra data on Microsoft Edge safety updates, please confer with the weekly up to date Microsoft assist web page. Each of those vulnerabilities are extraordinarily critical (we contemplate them zero-days) and needs to be added to your “Patch Now” browser replace schedule, Patch Tuesday or not.
Home windows
This October, Microsoft launched 13 vital updates and 68 patches rated as essential to the Home windows platform that cowl the next key parts:
- Home windows Message Queuing
- Home windows Win32K and Kernel
- Home windows RDP, Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol and Home windows TCP/IP
- Home windows Error Reporting
- Home windows Frequent Log File System Driver
- Home windows OLE, ODBC, and SQL Suppliers
The important thing challenges relate to the vital updates to the Message Queuing characteristic in Home windows. Including the kernel, core GDI updates, and networking points implies that this month we have to add this Home windows replace to your “Patch Now” launch schedule.
Microsoft Workplace
We will breathe somewhat simpler this month as Microsoft has launched solely seven updates (all rated as essential) for the Workplace platform. Ignoring Skype for Enterprise (which everybody else does), this month Microsoft delivers patches to advanced, difficult-to-exploit safety vulnerabilities that haven’t been publicly disclosed. Add these low-profile Workplace updates to your normal launch schedule.
Microsoft Alternate Server
Microsoft has launched a single replace for Microsoft Alternate this month. This vulnerability impacts all supported variations of Alternate Server and has been rated as essential by Microsoft. Microsoft Alternate server updates this month would require a server reboot — for all variations. Add this replace to your normal replace launch schedule for this October Patch Tuesday.
Microsoft Improvement Platforms
Excluding the Mitre Speedy Reset (CVE-2023-44487) situation lined beneath, Microsoft has launched three comparatively easy updates to the Visible Studio improvement platform. Add these updates to your normal developer launch schedule.
Adobe Reader (nonetheless right here, however simply not this month)
No updates from Adobe for Reader or Acrobat this month.
HTTP/2 Speedy Reset Vulnerability
Lastly, let’s focus on the HTTP/2 Speedy Reset (CVE-2023-44487) vulnerability. This distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) assault has been reported as exploited within the wild since this previous August. Because it impacts extra than simply Microsoft Home windows, I’ve included some useful hyperlinks (offered by CISA) on this critical vulnerability.
Microsoft has posted an in depth detailed weblog entry entry on the Speedy Reset situation that features recommendation on patching net functions, enabling Azure Net Software firewall and configuring Azure Entrance Door.
Copyright © 2023 IDG Communications, Inc.
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