Rare warning from CISA instructs government agencies to patch a vulnerability in a core authentication component of Active Directory from Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2019. The federal government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a rare emergency directive to federal government agencies to roll out a Windows Server patch within days, an indication of the severity of the exploit. The directive was issued on September 18, and agencies were given four days to apply the security update. It demands that executive agencies take “immediate and emergency action” to patch CVE-2020-1472, issued August 11. The vulnerability is in Microsoft Windows Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC), a core authentication component of Active Directory from Windows Server 2008 to Server 2019. It has been named “Zerologon” because of how it works. CVE-2020-1472 addresses a critical elevation-of-privilege bug that exists when an attacker uses NRPC to establish a vulnerable secure channel connection to a domain controller, according to Microsoft’s bug entry. It could allow an unauthenticated attacker with network access to a domain controller to completely compromise all Active Directory identity services. Microsoft rated the exploit a 10 on the 1-10 Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scale, meaning the most severe of vulnerabilities. The patch is the only way to mitigate this vulnerability, or the affected domain controllers could be removed from the network. CISA has jurisdiction over government agencies, save for the Department of Defense, which has its own rules. However, CISA strongly urges state and local government agencies, the private sector, and other non-governmental entities to update as soon as possible. When bug hunters find exploits like this, all parties do a pretty good job of keeping the details quiet until a patch is issued. The problem is that once a patch is issued, the vulnerability becomes available for all to see, and if the patch isn’t immediately applied, those machines are at risk. The problem is compounded by Microsoft’s track record as of late with its Patch Tuesday fixes, which can be buggy or broken, cause computer problems, and frequently have to be rolled back. IT managers are often reluctant to roll out patches as soon as Microsoft issues them. But in this case, if the feds are ordering their own departments to roll it out, you should, too. Related content news High-bandwidth memory nearly sold out until 2026 While it might be tempting to blame Nvidia for the shortage of HBM, it’s not alone in driving high-performance computing and demand for the memory HPC requires. By Andy Patrizio May 13, 2024 3 mins CPUs and Processors High-Performance Computing Data Center news CHIPS Act to fund $285 million for semiconductor digital twins Plans call for building an institute to develop digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing and share resources among chip developers. By Andy Patrizio May 10, 2024 3 mins CPUs and Processors Data Center news HPE launches storage system for HPC and AI clusters The HPE Cray Storage Systems C500 is tuned to avoid I/O bottlenecks and offers a lower entry price than Cray systems designed for top supercomputers. By Andy Patrizio May 07, 2024 3 mins Supercomputers Enterprise Storage Data Center news Lenovo ships all-AMD AI systems New systems are designed to support generative AI and on-prem Azure. By Andy Patrizio Apr 30, 2024 3 mins CPUs and Processors Data Center PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe