The standard September 2017 Patch Tuesday includes fixes for more than 80 vulnerabilities, five of which were discovered in Adobe software, which is also updated via Windows Update, since Flash Player is integrated into Edge and Internet Explorer.
A total of 27 vulnerabilities were rated as critical, and 39 of them allow remote code execution, which essentially means an attacker could take control of the unpatched system.
If you use Microsoft browsers, whether it's Internet Explorer or Edge on Windows 10, you should be aware that at least 22 critical vulnerabilities affect these applications, with the majority targeting the Scripting Engine. Users and system administrators should prioritize patching both browsers, as attacks are carried out via malicious websites that can be spread via email.
One specific vulnerability that users should be aware of is called CVE-2017-8759 and it affects Microsoft's .NET Framework.
“This is a user-facing vulnerability, meaning an attacker could convince a user to open a malicious document or application that would result in them taking control of the affected system. If the user is configured as less than a full administrator, the attack would be mitigated somewhat by allowing the attacker to perform actions within the user’s rights, so less privilege here helps,” Chris Goettl, product manager, told us in a detailed analysis of this month’s Patch Tuesday.
Adobe is also fixing vulnerabilities in Flash Player , and Windows users are getting the new version via Windows Update. There are 5 critical flaws in Adobe's software, and 2 of them affect Flash.
As is the case every month, users are advised to patch their systems as soon as possible, and a reboot is required to complete the process.
