Install Windows 10's August 2019 updates now to protect your PC from a nasty worm

Don't panic, but do install the patch.

By Brad Chacos
Senior Editor, PCWorld | AUGUST 15, 2019 06:39 AM PT

Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday updates rolled out earlier this week, and you should update Windows pronto. The updates include patches for four severe “wormable” security exploits that can let attackers spread malware without any user action, similar to WannaCry and the BlueKeep vulnerability that coerced Microsoft into releasing a rare post-death patch for Windows XP.

“This vulnerability is pre-authentication and requires no user interaction,” reads Microsoft’s description of the four vulnerabilities (CVE-2019-1181, CVE-2019-1182, CVE-2019-1222, and CVE-2019-122). “An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code on the target system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”

That sounds terrifying, but don’t panic: The Remote Desktop Services protocol is disabled by default, so most home users shouldn’t be vulnerable. Unlike Bluekeep, however, this latest RDS exploit affects Windows 10.

Simply applying the new updates closes the security hole. Your PC might have already done so automatically, but you should double-check. To do that, click on the Start button, then head to Options > Update & Security > Windows Update and click the Check for Updates button.

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