By making a rare exception to its hands-off policy toward Windows XP, and issuing a patch that protects older systems (though doesn’t help PCs already infected), Microsoft undoubtedly helped. Download Security Update for Windows XP SP3 (KB4012598) from Official Microsoft Download Center. New Surface Pro 6. Stand out from the ordinary. Security Update for Windows XP SP3 (KB4012598) Important! Selecting a language below will dynamically change the complete page content to that language. Select Language. Today, Microsoft has released an update KB4012598 for Windows devices to fix WannaCry ransomware. The new update is now available for Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003. Previously, the company had released WannaCry ransomware patch for Windows 10 devices in Match.
On Friday evening, Microsoft released patches for Windows XP, Server 2003, and Windows 8, after those systems were infected with Ransomware on Friday.
WannaCrypt, a variant of WannaCry ransomware, used previously leaked NSA tools to exploit vulnerabilities in the Windows platform.
The WannaCry attacks on Friday reached 125,000 systems worldwide, impacting the National Health Service in the UK, as well as shipping giant FedEx. The ransomware infection spread quickly Friday afternoon, as the attackers leveraged code stolen from the NSA (EternalBlue / DoublePulsar) to target Server Message Block (SMB) protocol in Windows.
Microsoft patched the vulnerability in March, but only for current platforms, or for those with special support contracts. For the most part, users on Windows XP, Windows 8, and Server 2003 were not provided a fix.
However, after Friday's attack, Microsoft changed their stance on EOL (end-of-life) patching and provided fixes for everyone.
Microsoft has taken the unprecedented step of issuing patches for unsupported operating systems - like Windows XP - in the wake of the massive WannaCrypt ransomware attacks against organisations. Microsoft issues ‘highly unusual’ Windows XP patch to prevent massive ransomware attack. But there are still organizations that continue to run Windows XP despite the risks. Microsoft is.
'Today many of our customers around the world and the critical systems they depend on were victims of malicious “WannaCrypt” software. Seeing businesses and individuals affected by cyberattacks, such as the ones reported today, was painful. Microsoft worked throughout the day to ensure we understood the attack and were taking all possible actions to protect our customers,' Microsoft explained.
Microsoft Patch For Wanna Cry
'Given the potential impact to customers and their businesses, we made the decision to make the Security Update for platforms in custom support only, Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003, broadly available for download. This decision was made based on an assessment of this situation, with the principle of protecting our customer ecosystem overall, firmly in mind.'
Redmond released patches for Windows Server 2003 (SP2 x64 / x86); Windows XP (SP2 x64, SP3 x86); Windows XP Embedded (SP3, x86); as well as the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8.
For details on MS17-010, the patch that addresses the SMB vulnerability, the advisory can be found here.