Every month brings a slew of new security upgrades you need to address.
While some months are certainly busier than others, like April’s 128 Microsoft vulnerabilities, every one should be treated as an important opportunity to correct potential flaws.
This month, June’s Patch Tuesday (that exciting day when a host of vendors release updates) arrived with the typical mix of critical patches and moderately useful updates.
For those with a monthly patching and update service agreement, this will be a review of what was performed, but for others, this will be a reminder to make sure critical updates were installed.
In either situation, be sure to address these June software updates either yourself, or verify your service provider completed them.
Let’s dive into the latest issues that require your immediate attention.
Windows' June Software Updates
As usual, Microsoft Windows leads the pack in the number of updates necessary for the month.
Cumulative updates were released for Windows 11 that fixed 33 bugs, while also adding the “Spotlight for Desktop” feature.
While this isn’t exactly a critical component of security, if you enjoy those beautiful landscape photos on your Windows 10/11 lock screens, you can now set them as your computer’s wallpaper image. Hey, who says updates always need to be for critical flaws, anyway?
At the very least, it’s a pleasant feature if you’re looking to ‘get away’ even while stuck in the office.
Microsoft also issued cumulative updates for Windows 10 versions 21H2, 21H1, 20H2 and 1809 (other Windows 10 versions are end-of-service).
Here, three of the fixed vulnerabilities rank as critical, since they expose systems to random code execution (RCE). In other words, it allows attackers to take over your systems and run anything they want.
Of major mention, though the updates suppress the Follina zero-day vulnerability, Sophos researchers note that the bug is not officially listed as fixed.
In the meantime, many now heavily criticize Microsoft for its slow recognition of the seriousness of the Folina and Azure vulnerabilities, as well as insufficient notices provided to customers.
When addressing these, keep in mind that even promptly installed updates might occur after an attack already happened.
This means you’ll still want to check your updated systems for signs of previous compromise.
Backups and Backup Issues
As always, backups should be performed and verified prior to applying patches and updates.
This will be especially important for Windows servers, because the June software updates may cause Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to fail for any SMB shares hosted on a File Server.
Fortunately, Microsoft has issued a resolution for those experiencing the problem.
However, this would be the perfect time for you and your team to perform a backup-and-restore drill to verify all backups are functioning well.
An End of an Era: Internet Explorer Retires
While most people might not notice, if you’re still using Internet Explorer, you might find it a struggle to cope with the retirement of the Internet Explorer 11 (IE) desktop applications.
After an incredible run of 27 years, now only 0.52% of users browse the internet using IE. With that being said, many companies still use IE for customized internal scripts.
If you count your business among those still using it, you’ll need to start budgeting to convert IE customization to HTML 5 or other modern browsers. Luckily, Edge will continue to support IE compatibility mode until 2029.
However, this support comes at a cost. It also means any IE vulnerabilities detected in the future will provide a pathway for attack through Edge.
Other New Vulnerabilities
As usual, though Microsoft’s prominence makes it the headlining vendor with June software updates, many others also released important updates, as well.
For instance, Sophos released updates to close a weakness exploited by a Chinese attack group installing backdoors in systems.
For those using affected firewalls, Sophos provided mitigations to prevent exploitation. They also recommend using the auditd tool, or referencing the YARA rules to flag suspicious activity from a backdoor already installed on a system.
Cisco patched a security flaw in their virtual and physical Email Security, Secure Email and Web Manager appliances that allowed attackers to bypass authentication.
Meanwhile, Citrix published patches to their Application Delivery Management tools, whose flaws allowed attackers to reset admin passwords.
June software updates were also released for SAP, Adobe Acrobat/Reader, macOS, ChromeOS, FireFox, and more.
Keep in mind that not all products are covered by standard patching and updating processes. As such, some of these updates will need to be addressed separately.
Home Security Alert
Normally, we focus exclusively on updates for enterprise-grade products that concern professional IT teams.
However, with the rise of remote work, your IT security teams may need to find ways to check vulnerabilities in home networks. Or, at the very least, you’ll want to issue alerts about potential problems.
For example, the Anker Eufy smart home hubs were found to be vulnerable to RCE attacks.
Though patches have been available since April 2022, if your employee didn’t know to use their app to fix the device, it may allow attackers to use their home networks as a starting point for a corporate attack.
While remote work is an incredible opportunity for workers and businesses alike, it can also pose special security risks. In the world of cybersecurity, educating your team is critical.
Applying Patches Promptly
Like anything else, routine inspections of your software patches are critical to stay secure. And, for the most part, they’re simple enough to apply – as long as you back up your systems and verify compatibility, first.
Whether deemed ‘critical’ or simply adding a new feature to your programs, these June software updates are a vital component of a healthy cybersecurity landscape.
But, if you find that your organization needs a little help in staying current, there’s no need to get frustrated.
You’re not alone.
Ideal Integrations, with assistance of Blue Bastion Cyber Security, is here to help.
Simply contact us at 412-349-6680 or fill out the form below, and our teams will provide a no-obligation plan to address the needs of your organization.
We offer short term assistance as well as ongoing service agreements for regular patching, and also design and apply mitigations to protect vulnerabilities that cannot be patched.
Stay safe, and stay secure, friends!