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Microsoft launches emergency security updates to fix codecs
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Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Usually, securityupdatescome in the notoriousPatch Tuesday(the second Tuesday of the month), but Microsoft just released two new, out-of-bound securityupdates.
That is two weeks beforePatchTuesday and gives us some idea about theCVE vulnerabilitiesimportance and the urgency of theupdates.
CVE-2020-1425andCVE-2020-1457are two securityvulnerabilitiesorremote code executionvulnerabilitiesas Microsoft calls them.
Thevulnerabilitiesaffect theWindows Codecs Libraryfor allWindows 10versions andWindows Serverversions.
How can CVE-2020-1425 and CVE-2020-1457 be exploited?
Both vulnerabilities exploit a vulnerability in the way that Microsoft Windows Codecs Library handles objects in memory.
CVE-2020-1425 is a critical vulnerability and the attacker who would exploit it could obtain information to further compromise the user’s system.
CVE-2020-1457 is listed just asimportantbut it sounds just as dangerous as the attacker who exploits this vulnerabilitycould execute arbitrary code.
Microsoftspecifiesthat the vulnerabilities were not publicly disclosed, have not been exploited, and areless likelyto be exploited.
What is the exploitation method for the vulnerabilities?
Apparently, to benefit from this bug, the attacker sends aspecially crafted image filethat needs to be processed by a program on your computer.
The good news is that you don’t need to do anything to patch your system. The Windows Media Codec will be updated automatically through the Microsoft Store.
Affected customers will be automatically updated by Microsoft Store. Customers do not need to take any action to receive the update.
Alternatively, customers who want to receive the update immediately can check for updates with the Microsoft Store App; more information on this process can be foundhere.
What do you think about Microsoft’s latest updates? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.
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More about the topics:windows 10 updates
Claudiu Andone
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Oldtimer in the tech and science press, Claudiu is focused on whatever comes new from Microsoft.
His abrupt interest in computers started when he saw the first Home Computer as a kid. However, his passion for Windows and everything related became obvious when he became a sys admin in a computer science high school.
With 14 years of experience in writing about everything there is to know about science and technology, Claudiu also likes rock music, chilling in the garden, and Star Wars. May the force be with you, always!
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Claudiu Andone
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Oldtimer in the tech and science press, with 14 years of experience in writing on everything there is to know about science, technology, and Microsoft
