Security News > 2020 > January > NSA and Github ‘rickrolled’ using Windows CryptoAPI bug

Was there a big, bad security bug in Microsoft Windows waiting to be announced the next day?

This time, the NSA gave the bug to Microsoft to patch the hole proactively, and here we are!

The reason you might be deceived by this bug is because the program you were using at that moment was deceived by it, because it used the buggy part of the Windows CryptoAPI. In other words, a rogue certificate doesn't need to be visible to be deceptive - and, ironically, the obvious example of software that does digitial certificate validation behind the scenes for safety's sake.

If crooks can log straight into your network, they reduce the Windows CryptoAPI Spoofing Vulnerability to a minor worry, because they no longer need to trick anyone into running malware with bogus certificates - they can just launch the malware for themselves.

If the CryptoAPI bug gets you to embrace our advice to "Patch early, patch often".

News URL

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/01/16/nsa-and-github-rickrolled-using-windows-cryptoapi-bug/