Skip to main content

Microsoft issues fix to address Windows USB vulnerability

usb-stick-flickr-molotalk
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’ve yet to update Windows in recent days, do so now – especially if you have a proclivity towards plugging in random USB drives on your computer, or if there’s someone else who uses your computer at home. A recently issued Windows update contains a patch that fixes a Windows vulnerability that allows your system to be exploited by malware introduced by thumb drives.

When compromised flash drives are plugged into a computer, the system can automatically execute malicious codes that could install viruses and keyloggers on your computer, giving attackers remote access to your sensitive files and data. Companies with huge networks of interconnected computers are the most at risk, as all it takes to be infected is one not-so-tech-savvy worker to use a USB stick of unknown origin. A notable example of a security breach caused by an infected thumb drive is the 2008 widespread virus infection at a U.S. military base in the Middle East. The malware that came from an unknown thumb drive plugged into a laptop went on to infect the base’s whole network, even its computers containing classified information. 

If you have automatic update enabled, you probably already have the patch. Otherwise, you can manually it via the Microsoft Update service. You can check out the details of the patch on the security bulletin issued along with its release

(Image credit: Vladim Molochnikov)

Editors' Recommendations

Mariella Moon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…
The Windows 11 Android app dream is dead
A photo of the TikTok app running on a Windows 11 laptop

Microsoft first brought over the option to run Android apps natively in Windows 11 in 2021, but the dream is coming to an end after just a few years. Today, the company quietly updated its documentation for the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) to indicate that it will be ending support for the feature on March 5, 2025. Amazon has also published updated guidance for the same issue about its Amazon App Store on Windows 11, which powers the WSA.

What's causing this change is unknown, as Microsoft did not dive into specific details. Left to speculate, we can assume it's due to either lack of use or licensing issues, but until we hear more, it's left ambiguous.

Read more
How to change your default browser in Windows 11
Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Changing the default browser is a great way to improve your Windows 11 web-browsing experience. If you've got a favorite -- we're willing to bet it's Chrome -- then you can switch the default browser in Windows 11 so that you aren't always closing down Edge before launching your preferred browser.

Here's how to change the default browser in Windows 11 in just a few quick steps.

Read more
How to take a screenshot using a Microsoft Surface
A 2017 Microsoft Surface Pro on a table.

Whether you want to capture friends and relatives making funny faces on Skype or need accessible photos of online resources or programs, screenshots benefit users in many ways. Since the Surface Pros are a bit different than other 2-in-1 laptops, however, you may find yourself wondering how to take a screenshot on one. Here, we take the mystery out of the

Read more