Earlier in May, a serious vulnerability was found in Windows that allows running any app without users' interaction. It abuses Windows protocol associations. Opening a Microsoft Office document could be enough to compromise the device. This vulnerability has been dubbed Follina (CVE-2022-30190) and is know to be exploited by hackers.
The attackers, allegedly linked to the China, sent malicious Word documents to Tibetan recipients. Such a document opens access to the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT). The latter allows them to install apps, create new user accounts, and manage data stored on the computer. Such malicious documents were also sent to US and European government workers via phishing.
Users could apply a workaround, e.g. unregister a protocol in the Registry.
Microsoft has fixed this vulnerability in the June cumulative updates for all supported versions of Windows. It is a good idea to install updates on your computer as soon as possible to secure it.
KB5014699 for Windows 10 and KB5014697 for Windows 11 should resolve the issue, so no workaround required. They will be installed automatically via Windows Update. You can manually trigger this process by opening Settings (Win + I), opening the Windows Update page, and clicking the "Check for updates" button on the right.
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