On Monday, May 30, 2022, Microsoft issued a security alert for a discovered vulnerability in the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT).

A threat actor will send a specially crafted email or office document and upon opening the link in the email or document, MSDT will launch and run code or install malware without end-user interaction or awareness. A threat actor who successfully exploits this vulnerability can then install programs, access data, or create new accounts on the system.

There is currently no security patch from Microsoft to address this zero-day vulnerability. There is a workaround to disable the MSDT tool and protocol as a temporary measure. Corum recommends customers seek IT help as the workaround has some risks. You can follow the guide here.

Corum urges Pharmacies to use caution when opening emails with URLs, links or attachments and to ensure they follow the ACSC best practices for small businesses, such as implementing the Essential 8 Security controls. 

Corum Cyber Protection customers are already protected from this vulnerability. In line with Essential 8 best practices, application hardening settings were applied to your devices to prevent it from being vulnerable to these types of exploits.

If you are worried about the security of your pharmacy systems and want to know how you can manage vulnerabilities like this automatically, speak to your Customer Success Manager or contact us on 1300 669 865.