Critical Patches Issued for Microsoft Products, November 14, 2023
ITS ADVISORY NUMBER:
2023-132
DATE(S) ISSUED:
11/14/2023
SUBJECT:
Critical Patches Issued for Microsoft Products, November 14, 2023
OVERVIEW:
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Microsoft products, the most severe of which could allow for remote code execution in the context of the logged on user. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
THREAT INTELLIGENCE:
There are currently no reports of these vulnerabilities being exploited in the wild.
SYSTEMS AFFECTED:
Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
HTTP/2
Adobe
Windows Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
Windows Win32K
Client Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS)
Skype for Business
Windows cURL Implementation
Windows Mobile Device Management
Microsoft QUIC
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Graphics Component
Windows Message Queuing
Role: Windows Hyper-V
Windows Cryptographic Services
Windows Wireless Wide Area Network Service
Windows Client/Server Runtime Subsystem
ASP.NET
Microsoft Windows Search Component
.NET Framework
Microsoft Dynamics Finance & Operations
.NET Core & Visual Studio
.NET and Visual Studio
Windows RDP
SQL Server
Microsoft Exchange Server
Microsoft Office Word
Azure
Windows Named Pipe File System
Windows IKE Extension
Windows NT OS Kernel
Windows Power Management Service
Windows Container Manager Service
Active Directory Domain Services
Windows Error Reporting
Windows Mixed Reality Developer Tools
Windows Virtual Trusted Platform Module
Windows TPM
Windows Common Log File System Driver
Windows Kernel
Windows Runtime C++ Template Library
Microsoft Windows Media Foundation
Windows AllJoyn API
Windows Deployment Services
Windows Setup Files Cleanup
Windows DHCP Server
Windows Microsoft DirectMusic
Windows Resilient File System (ReFS)
Windows TCP/IP
Microsoft WDAC ODBC Driver
Windows Remote Procedure Call
Windows Active Template Library
Windows Mark of the Web (MOTW)
Microsoft WDAC OLE DB provider for SQL
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Common Data Model SDK
Microsoft WordPad
Azure DevOps
Windows HTML Platform
Windows IIS
Azure Real Time Operating System
Azure SDK
ASP.NET and Visual Studio
SysInternals
Microsoft Windows Codecs Library
Windows Kerberos
Microsoft Accessibility Insights for Web
Windows SMB
Servicing Stack Updates
Windows Active Directory
RISK:
Government:
Large and medium government entities: High
Small government entities: Medium
Businesses:
Large and medium business entities: High
Small business entities: Medium
Home users: Low
TECHNICAL SUMMARY:
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Microsoft products, the most severe of which could allow for remote code execution.
A full list of all vulnerabilities can be found at the link below:
Successful exploitation of the most severe of these vulnerabilities could result in an attacker gaining the same privileges as the logged-on user. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than those who operate with administrative user rights.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
We recommend the following actions be taken:
Apply appropriate patches or appropriate mitigations provided by Microsoft to vulnerable systems immediately after appropriate testing. (M1051: Update Software)
Safeguard 7.1: Establish and Maintain a Vulnerability Management Process: Establish and maintain a documented vulnerability management process for enterprise assets. Review and update documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.
Safeguard 7.4: Perform Automated Application Patch Management: Perform application updates on enterprise assets through automated patch management on a monthly, or more frequent, basis.
Apply the Principle of Least Privilege to all systems and services, and run all software as a non-privileged user (one without administrative rights) to diminish the effects of a successful attack. (M1026: Privileged Account Management)
Safeguard 4.7: Manage Default Accounts on Enterprise Assets and Software: Manage default accounts on enterprise assets and software, such as root, administrator, and other pre-configured vendor accounts. Example implementations can include: disabling default accounts or making them unusable.
Safeguard 5.4: Restrict Administrator Privileges to Dedicated Administrator Accounts: Restrict administrator privileges to dedicated administrator accounts on enterprise assets. Conduct general computing activities, such as internet browsing, email, and productivity suite use, from the user’s primary, non-privileged account.
Remind all users not to visit untrusted websites or follow links/open files provided by unknown or untrusted sources. (M1017: User Training)
Safeguard 14.1: Establish and Maintain a Security Awareness Program: Establish and maintain a security awareness program. The purpose of a security awareness program is to educate the enterprise’s workforce on how to interact with enterprise assets and data in a secure manner. Conduct training at hire and, at a minimum, annually. Review and update content annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.
Safeguard 14.2: Train Workforce Members to Recognize Social Engineering Attacks: Train workforce members to recognize social engineering attacks, such as phishing, pre-texting, and tailgating.
Use capabilities to prevent suspicious behavior patterns from occurring on endpoint systems. This could include suspicious process, file, API call, etc. behavior. (M1040 : Behavior Prevention on Endpoint)
Safeguard 13.2 : Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Detection Solution: Deploy a host-based intrusion detection solution on enterprise assets, where appropriate and/or supported.
Safeguard 13.7 : Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Prevention Solution: Deploy a host-based intrusion prevention solution on enterprise assets, where appropriate and/or supported. Example implementations include use of an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) client or host-based IPS agent.
REFERENCES:
Microsoft:
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2023-Nov
TLP:CLEAR
www.cisa.gov/tlp