CVE-2021-34527 AKA PrintNightmare is a critical security flaw with the internal design of the Microsoft Windows Print Spooler service.  This service, which is present on all modern versions of Microsoft Windows products, can be used by malicious actors to completely compromise the affected systems.

On Tuesday, 7/6/21 Microsoft released an out-of-band update to patch the vulnerability. However, it now appears the hastily released patch can be easily bypassed.

Additionally, several different versions of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 have yet to receive an official security patch.

With the rise of ransomware attacks this summer, this all adds up to a potential security nightmare in the making.

Many larger enterprises and educational institutions are going as far as disabling printing completely until the issue can be addressed by Microsoft.

There is a method to safely micro-patch the vulnerability by using a third-party service 0patch. You can read the latest on the 0patch blog

The Purple Folder team is ready and willing to help you keep your critical systems secured. Schedule a free 30 minute IT security review with our team.