Security researchers have warned of a local privilege escalation bug in Windows XP, the exploit code was which is already available on the net.
FireEye researchers revealed through a blog post that the zero-day is being exploited in the wild. The researchers notes that the exploit cannot be used for remote code execution; however, “could allow a standard user account to execute code in the kernel. Currently, the exploit appears to only work in Windows XP.”
Researchers note that the local-privilege escalation zero-day is being used in conjunction with an already patched vulnerability in Adobe Reader versions “9.5.4, 10.1.6, 11.0.02 and prior on Windows XP SP3.” Those on the latest version of the Reader should be safe.
Microsoft on the other hand has revealed through an advisory that is already investigating a vulnerability in Windows kernel that allows for privilege escalation in both Windows XP and Windows 2003. “The vulnerability is an elevation of privilege vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full administrative rights”, notes Microsoft.
As Windows XP nears its EOL, more and more zero-day vulnerabilities will be discovered as it is believed that hackers are stockpiling the exploits and will start using them in their hack attacks after the April 8, 2014. Same is the case for Office 2003 as Microsoft is ending support for the Office suite alongside Windows XP.
