Security News > 2023 > January > Microsoft Patch Tuesday: One 0-day; Win 7 and 8.1 get last-ever patches
Glaringly obvious at the very top of the list are the names in the Product column of the first nine entries, dealing with an elevation-of-privilege patch denoted CVE-2013-21773 for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.
Windows 8.1, which is remembered more as a sort-of "Bug-fix" release for the unlamented and long-dropped Windows 8 than as a real Windows version in its own right, never really caught on.
You'll sometimes read that the comparative unpopularity of Windows 8 is why the next major release after 8.1 was numbered Windows 10, thus deliberately creating a sense of separation between the old version and the new one.
Shed your tears now, because this month sees the very last security updates for the old-school Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 versions.
Intriguingly, the CVE-2023-21674 bug, which is actively in use by attackers, isn't on the Windows 7 patch list, but it does apply to Windows 8.1.
The second bug, CVE-2023-21549, described as publicly known, applies to both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
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Related Vulnerability
| DATE | CVE | VULNERABILITY TITLE | RISK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-10 | CVE-2023-21674 | Use After Free vulnerability in Microsoft products Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | 8.8 |
| 2023-01-10 | CVE-2023-21549 | Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in Microsoft products Windows SMB Witness Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability | 0.0 |