Despite the fact that Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP and Server 2003 a long time ago, these operating systems are still used by many. In the middle of May the corporation a patch that should close a gap for WannaCry or similar viruses in older operating systems. However, many systems are still unprotected. At the same time, experts that exploits for the BlueKeep vulnerability exist separately from WannaCry.
It is important to note that many PCs based on these operating systems are still part of critical infrastructure and corporate environments. There is no talk of replacing them yet for a number of reasons.
During the release of the patch against the RDP vulnerability CVE-2019-0708 (BlueKeep), the company kept silent about the details. It was stated that the flaw allows the spread of viruses between PCs similar to WannaCry, and also that it was related to the Windows Remote Desktop component. At the same time, Windows 8 and 10 were completely protected from such attacks.
However, now there is information from the same Microsoft that there are exploits for BlueKeep in the "wild". This theoretically allows attacking any PC running Windows XP and Server 2003, installing unauthorized software on it, launching ransomware viruses, and so on. Security researchers noted that the development of such an exploit is not a problem, although they did not publish the code to avoid leaks.
At the moment, it is recommended to install an update for older operating systems or upgrade to more modern versions of Windows to avoid even the possibility of an outside intrusion. According to security experts, around a million PCs are currently connected to the Internet and contain the BlueKeep vulnerability. And given that these can be network gateways, the number of potentially vulnerable points can be much larger.
Recall that Windows XP and Server 2003 require a manual upgrade. For Windows 7 and newer systems, it downloads automatically.
Source: 3dnews.ru