Microsoft releases fix for Windows vulnerability

USB malware

Microsoft has released a "fix it" for the latest flaw to be discovered in Windows.

The vulnerability with executable files was confirmed on Friday by the Microsoft Security Response Centre (MSRC) team.

It allowed malware from external storage devices to take hold of machines instantaneously, thanks to the files launching as soon as folders were opened.

The fix, released by Microsoft today, claims to be able to prevent such attacks from occurring.

On the MSRC blog, Christopher Budd, security programme manager, warned: "This workaround will disable some icons from being displayed so we recommend administrators test this before deploying it widely."

He added: "As always, we'll update the security advisory and this blog with new information as it becomes available."

Click here to get the fix.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.