Communications of the ACM
White House Cites 'Active Threat,' Urges Action Despite Microsoft Patch
The White House has advised computer network operators to further their efforts to determine whether their systems were targeted by an attack on Microsoft's Outlook email program. While Microsoft has issued a patch, a back door that can allow access to co
Credit: Whitehouse.gov
The White House has advised computer network operators to further efforts to determine whether their systems were targeted by an attack on Microsoft's Outlook email program, warning of serious vulnerabilities still unresolved.
Although Microsoft issued a patch to correct flaws in Outlook's software, a back door that can allow access to compromised servers remains open; a White House official called this "an active threat still developing."
A source informed Reuters that more than 20,000 U.S. organizations had been compromised by the hack, which Microsoft attributed to China; although for now only a small percentage of infected networks have been compromised via the back door, more attacks are anticipated.
Said the White House official, "Patching and mitigation is not remediation if the servers have already been compromised, and it is essential that any organization with a vulnerable server take measures to determine if they were already targeted."
From Reuters
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