PrintNightmare Patch Day Update: Immediate Installation is Recommended

Microsoft closed further so-called PrintNightmare vulnerabilities on Windows Patch Day. The company recommends installing the Windows 10 and Windows 11 patches immediately to address the vulnerabilities, as they are likely to be actively exploited. According to Kaspersky’s latest findings, cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in the Windows Print Spooler.

Since the vulnerabilities, also known as “PrinterNightmare”, cybercriminals’ campaigns targeting the Windows Print Spooler vulnerabilities have continued to grow. However, these vulnerabilities pose a particular problem for Microsoft because they are difficult to close. For months, there have been corresponding updates on every patch day that promise a weakening, but everything is not completely clear yet. Microsoft, therefore, advises disabling the print service completely.

May Patch Day turned two Windows Print Spooler Vulnerabilities patched that enabled information disclosure (CVE-2022-29114, CVE-2022-29140). For this purpose, two more vulnerabilities in the print spooler, CVE-2022-29104, and CVE-2022-29132, have been closed, which could allow the elevation of permissions. Microsoft currently believes that two of these vulnerabilities are already “more likely to be exploited.” In particular, blackmail Trojans target the “PrinterNightmare” vulnerability.

The increasing number of threats

Kaspersky researchers also found that over the past four months, attackers were most active in Austria, France, and Slovenia. “Vulnerabilities in Windows Print Spooler are a breeding ground for new threats,” said Alexey Kulaev, a security researcher at Kaspersky.

“We expect an increasing number of exploit attempts to access resources on corporate networks, associated with a high risk of the ransomware infection and data theft. Some of these vulnerabilities allow attackers to not only access victims’ data, but It is therefore strongly recommended that you follow Microsoft’s guidelines and install the latest Windows security updates.”