Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Demystifying KB976902, a.k.a. Microsoft’s “Blackhole” Update

Summary: Microsoft released KB976902 to Windows 7 users through Windows Update on Oct. 26 as a "recommended" and "important" patch with no published knowledgebase article describing its function, and users reported it could not be uninstalled and was no longer offered after they declined it. Microsoft told Krebs the update was a Servicing Stack Update released prematurely in English before its KB article was published, that it cannot be uninstalled, and that it is required for compatibility with some future updates.

Bottom line: The patch shipped ahead of its own documentation, and the speculation that followed - service pack, anti-piracy check, malicious code - shows how quickly an unexplained update from the world's largest software vendor turns into conspiracy theories among the users who are supposed to trust it.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Vulnerabilities & Patching
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