Microsoft says that hackers are exploiting a vulnerability in all current versions of Windows that lets them hijack users’ computers — and there’s currently no fix.
The security flaw — which the tech firm has given its highest severity rating of ‘critical’ — emerges in the way that Windows handles and renders fonts.
Hackers can exploit the vulnerability by tricking users into opening a malicious document — or viewing it in Windows Preview.
This allows malware — like ransomware — to then be remotely launched onto the victim’s system.
Microsoft is aware of limited targeted attacks that could leverage un-patched vulnerabilities in the Adobe Type Manager Library,’ a spokesperson for the tech firm wrote in a security advisory published on the Microsoft website.
The vulnerabilities emerge, the firm explained, when the the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library improperly handles a specially-crafted multi-master font — the Adobe Type 1 PostScript format.
‘There are multiple ways an attacker could exploit the vulnerability, such as convincing a user to open a specially crafted document or viewing it in the Windows Preview pane,’ added Microsoft.
WHICH OS VERSIONS ARE AFFECTED?