From: ComputerWorld
Jaikumar Vijayan
The ongoing government shutdown could leave desktop and server systems in many federal agencies vulnerable to new threats disclosed Tuesday by Microsoft in its latest round of security updates.
The ongoing government shutdown could leave desktop and server systems in many federal agencies vulnerable to new threats disclosed Tuesday by Microsoft in its latest round of security updates.
Many federal agencies are operating with skeletal IT staff. All IT systems deemed non-essential have been shut down, making the installation of Microsoft’s latest patches, especially on desktop and notebook systems, very difficult for federal agencies, say security analysts.
“The October Windows critical vulnerabilities go across PC and server operating systems,” said John Pescatore, director of emerging technologies at the SANS Institute.
“While most of the government security staff was deemed essential, it is likely that many of the employee PCs and laptops were turned off, so it will be hard to patch them,” Pescatore noted. So, when the standoff is over and government workers return, a lot of their PCs could be missing critical patches.
Microsoft yesterday issued patches for 26 flaws, including several critical, remotely exploitable, flaws in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, the Microsoft .Net Framework and multiple versions of the Internet Explorer browser. The patches part of the company’s regular monthly security updates.
Security analysts typically recommend that organizations implement Microsoft’s security patches as soon as possible to mitigate the risk from hackers.
Over the years, Microsoft and several vendors have released tools that make it much easier for organizations to quickly test and to install required patches with minimal service disruptions.
Theoretically, there should be fewer problems with server updates due to the shutdown — most agencies have far fewer servers than client systems.
“You would think that without users they could actually patch servers faster,” Pescatore said. “However, the reality of these shutdowns is that informal processes get disrupted even if the essential people are still there.”
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