Microsoft has urged Windows users to install the new version as soon as possible following the discovery of a security vulnerability in the operating system that allows control over the user's device. The company stated that exploiting this current vulnerability by hackers could lead to displaying or deleting data on the targeted device, as well as potential full control over it.
Microsoft's urging isn't limited to Windows 10, which is used by over 1.3 billion computers worldwide, but also extends to all users of older systems, including Windows 2012 and 2016, as well as Windows 7, which was released nearly 13 years ago.
This advice from Microsoft comes after a group of researchers from the cybersecurity firm Sangfor mistakenly broadcasted a guide for exploiting this vulnerability before it was deleted and reposted on the GitHub website.
The researchers named the current vulnerability "Burnt Nightmar," stating that exploiting it leads to access to the printer and then control over the targeted device. Last year, the National Security Agency alerted Microsoft to flaws in its Windows operating system before witnessing numerous hacking incidents throughout the year carried out by skilled hackers seeking ransom.
