Microsoft Downplays "Nightmare" Kernel Bug
Microsoft Downplays "Nightmare" Kernel Bug
Posted 11/29/2010 at 7:55am
| by Paul Lilly
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There's a nasty little Windows exploit making the rounds, one that lets would-be attackers sidestep the User Account Control (UAC) mechanism in Windows Vista and Windows 7, Computerworld reports. A security firm called the bug a potential "nightmare," a notion Microsoft isn't ready to agree with.
"Microsoft is aware of the public posting of details of an elevation of privilege vulnerability that may reside in the Windows kernel," said Jerry Bryant, a group manager with the Microsoft Security Response Center. "We will continue to investigate the issue and, when done, will take appropriate action."
Microsoft also stressed that the exploit requires local access, which "requires attackers to be already able to execute code on a targeted machine." The bug itself doesn't allow remote code execution, but it does enable non-administrator accounts to execute code as if they were admins, Bryant said.
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