How the September 2024 Patch Tuesday Affects Your Business: What You Need to Know

Ah, September, that time of year when kids return to school, leaves begin to fall, and Microsoft drops its latest Patch Tuesday bombshell. And this year, it’s quite the doozy! For businesses—whether you’re managing a small office or a sprawling enterprise—the implications of the September 2024 Patch Tuesday are significant. With 79 vulnerabilities patched, including four zero-day exploits and seven critical flaws, you might want to clear your calendar. Here’s what you need to know (and why pretending this patch doesn’t exist is probably not the best strategy).

Why Should You Care About Patch Tuesday?

If you’ve been blissfully ignoring Patch Tuesday over the years, it’s time for a reality check. Think of Patch Tuesday like a car service—skipping it is fine, right up until your brakes fail, and you crash. The patches released in September address some serious vulnerabilities, many of which are actively being exploited in the wild. This means attackers aren’t patiently waiting for you to catch up on your IT chores; they’re already exploiting flaws.

September’s updates bring critical fixes for vulnerabilities across a variety of systems including Windows, Azure, SharePoint, SQL Server, and more. Ignoring these patches? Well, let’s just say your system might be the next unwelcome playground for cybercriminals.

The Headliners: Critical Flaws and Zero-Days

This Patch Tuesday was headlined by four zero-day vulnerabilities, three of which have already been exploited in real-world attacks. If that doesn’t sound terrifying, it should! Zero-day vulnerabilities mean attackers have found a way to exploit a flaw before anyone knew it existed. Microsoft, as much as it tries, is playing catch-up here. The big offenders this time include:

• CVE-2024-43491: A remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Windows 10 that impacts Windows Update components. This one has a critical CVSS score of 9.8, meaning it’s just about as bad as it gets. If you’re running outdated or poorly configured systems, attackers can use this vulnerability to execute malicious code remotely—essentially, they could take over your system faster than you can say “why didn’t we patch this?”
• CVE-2024-38014: Another terrifying RCE flaw that exploits vulnerabilities in Windows Installer, allowing local attackers to gain SYSTEM-level privileges. If your IT admin has been skimping on patch updates, this could be your company’s worst nightmare come true.
• CVE-2024-38226: This little gem allows attackers to bypass Office macro policies, tricking users into opening seemingly legitimate files that lead to unauthorized actions. Didn’t think macros were that important? Think again.

Now, let’s dive deeper into what these vulnerabilities could mean for your business.

What These Vulnerabilities Mean for Your Business

The Hit to Small Businesses

If you think your small business is safe because you’re too small to be noticed by cybercriminals, think again. In fact, attackers often prefer smaller businesses because they assume—correctly—that your defenses aren’t as robust. Vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-43491 mean that even if you’re not running the latest enterprise-level hardware, your Windows 10 machines could still be vulnerable to remote exploitation. So while you’re busy ignoring updates, attackers are busy planning their next move.

The zero-day flaws also allow attackers to sneak past defenses that were supposed to protect you. Thanks, but no thanks, Microsoft.

The Enterprise Angle

For larger businesses, these updates are more than just a minor inconvenience—they’re crucial to the integrity of your entire IT infrastructure. With vulnerabilities in Azure, SharePoint, and SQL Server, an attack can easily spread across departments, compromising sensitive data like financial records or customer information. One particularly nasty vulnerability in Azure Stack Hub could grant attackers elevated privileges, allowing them to perform actions as if they were admins themselves.

Just imagine having a malicious party with admin access to your cloud resources. Yeah, not fun.

Don’t Just Patch—Prioritize!

It’s one thing to say, “Hey, let’s patch everything!” but in reality, you’ve got a lot of work on your plate. So, where do you start? Here’s a quick cheat sheet for prioritizing the September 2024 patches:

1. Critical Patches First

Focus on the seven critical vulnerabilities, particularly the zero-days that are being actively exploited. These include CVE-2024-43491, CVE-2024-38014, and CVE-2024-38217. These are the cracks in the dam, and you don’t want to be the one mopping up after a breach.

2. Update Cloud Services

Azure is a critical component of many modern businesses, and with vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-38216 (elevation of privilege in Azure Stack Hub) being addressed, it’s essential that your cloud services receive attention.

3. Don’t Forget the Little Guys

While the most critical patches grab headlines, don’t neglect the 71 important vulnerabilities. Elevation of privilege vulnerabilities (38% of the total) are particularly dangerous because they allow attackers to escalate from a standard user account to a system admin, giving them full control.

The Cost of Not Patching: What Happens If You Delay?

Here’s where we bring out the sarcasm: not patching your systems is like deciding to skydive without checking your parachute. Sure, it might be fine—but why would you take that risk? And, unlike skydiving, the risks here aren’t just hypothetical. Businesses that fail to patch are essentially waving a red flag to cybercriminals.

Consider the cost of a data breach: legal fees, customer trust, and—oh yes—potentially millions of dollars in regulatory fines. It’s not an “if” but a “when” in today’s landscape.

FAQs

What exactly is Patch Tuesday?

It’s the day Microsoft releases its monthly security updates. It’s like Christmas for IT admins… if Christmas came with the pressure to fix all of your company’s vulnerabilities before the bad guys exploit them.

Why does Microsoft release patches every month?

Because vulnerabilities are discovered constantly. Attackers don’t sleep, and neither do security flaws. Microsoft batches updates into Patch Tuesdays to give businesses a regular schedule for applying fixes.

Can I skip this month’s Patch Tuesday?

Sure, if you enjoy living dangerously. But seriously, the vulnerabilities patched this month are severe, especially if you rely on Microsoft products like Windows, SharePoint, or Azure. Skip it at your own peril.

How can I stay on top of Patch Tuesday updates?

Set up an automatic patching schedule if possible. For larger businesses, using tools like WSUS or Microsoft Endpoint Manager helps manage patches across multiple devices. Or, hire a superhero IT admin who can apply patches faster than you can say “zero-day.”

The Final Word: Don’t Wait

In the end, your business’s security posture is only as strong as your weakest (or most unpatched) link. The September 2024 Patch Tuesday includes fixes for vulnerabilities that could cripple your systems, steal your data, or hold your business hostage with ransomware.

So, take a deep breath, dive into those patch notes, and get to work. Your future self—and your clients—will thank you.

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