Hey there, tech enthusiasts! This month, Microsoft rolled out around 100 security fixes, but there’s one critical vulnerability that grabbed our attention. A zero-click TCP/IP flaw, recently patched by Microsoft, could potentially lead to unauthenticated remote code execution attacks.
Researcher Alerts Microsoft Users About The Zero-Click TCP/IP RCE Flaw
Recently, security researcher XiaoWei from Kunlun Lab shed light on a significant security issue that Microsoft has promptly addressed.
In a recent post by Wei, he highlighted a remote code execution vulnerability in the TCP/IP module of Windows systems. Wei had discovered this flaw a few months back and responsibly reported it to Microsoft.
Thanks to Wei’s efforts, Microsoft swiftly released a patch for this vulnerability as part of the August 2024 Patch Tuesday updates.
This Patch Tuesday is particularly crucial as it not only tackled ten zero-days but also addressed nine critical vulnerabilities, including the TCP/IP flaw. It’s imperative for users to apply these patches promptly.
Microsoft has labeled this vulnerability as CVE-2024-38063, giving it a critical severity rating and a CVSS score of 9.8. Microsoft’s advisory describes the vulnerability as:
An unauthenticated attacker could repeatedly send IPv6 packets, that include specially crafted packets, to a Windows machine which could enable remote code execution.
Given that this vulnerability primarily targets IPv6-enabled systems, it poses a significant threat to the latest Windows systems, where IPv6 is enabled by default.
How To Check/Enable/Disable IPv6 On Windows (10/11)
While Microsoft advises against disabling IPv6, it’s worth noting that it may not be fully supported, especially on older devices.
Disabling IPv6 can be beneficial in certain scenarios, like using a VPN that doesn’t support IPv6 or mitigating vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-38063.
For Windows 10 and 11 users, you can check the status of IPv6 on your device by navigating to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections. Right-click on the active network connection icon, select ‘Properties,’ and then toggle the “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” option to enable or disable IPv6.
We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!
